Majora's Revenge
by Norkix
Summary: It started out as a simple trip to Termina to see the Carnival of Time. I saw old friends, fell in love, and, unfortunately, found out I was the most famous person in the alternate world. But the demon I thought I killed is not dead. She is out for blood. LinkXRomani. Rated T for strong language and bloody violence in later chapters. (Finally) Complete!
1. Down the Rabbit Hole Again

Majora's Revenge

Prologue

Many centuries ago, the three golden goddesses descended to the void, and from it, created the world. Din, Goddess of Power, used her strong, flaming arms to create the red earth. Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom, brought the spirit of law to the world. Farore, Goddess of Courage, created all life that would uphold the law. Upon this world, they placed their chosen people, the Hylians, who would protect the Triforce from falling to evil hands. They endowed the Hylians with magical abilities and long, pointed ears that could hear messages from the goddesses. The Hylians named the land they were placed in Hyrule. Hyrule would know a great deal of peace, but when evil threatened that peace, a hero would rise and drive it back.

But there is another world that the goddesses created, a secret world that the people of Hyrule knew nothing of. The goddesses had fought a fierce battle against a Demon Queen of unspeakable power, and sealed her inside a mask. They then sealed this mask deep in this world's hell, creating people to watch over the seal, and four giant guardians to watch over the people. However, the people of this land grew resentful of the three goddesses, believing that their giant guardians were superior, and began building a tower of stone to the heavens to destroy the Hylian goddesses, carving blasphemy into every tier. The goddesses, angered by the people's actions, caused the world to flip over, and the people built towards the depths of the world. They eventually reached the hell of their world, and there they found the mask. They built monuments to it, and took it back with them to the surface of their world.

The goddesses cursed this world, naming it Termina. The mask's evil influences caused the people to fight amongst one another, eventually separating into two tribes. One tribe regained the goddesses' favor and travelled to the center of the land to build a large pillar over the portal between Hyrule and Termina. The goddesses then placed numerous barriers over this tower that would repel the Demon Queen, trapping her in the doomed world of Termina. The other tribe, cursed by the goddesses, slowly deteriorated, their land of Ikana becoming a place of death and resentment. The spirits of these cursed people continued to haunt their land, never finding solace.

One day, a mask collector found the portal from Hyrule to Termina, and entered it out of curiosity. He questioned the people there about rare or legendary masks, and heard about the ancient mask of the Demon Queen. He travelled across this world and eventually found the mask in Ikana. Sensing its evil, he decided to take it with him and guard it, ensuring none would be able to use its power. However, on his way back to Hyrule, he was ambushed in the woods by a Stalkid, who took the mask from him. The Stalkid wandered through the woods for a while, simply admiring the mask with his two fairy friends, and eventually found the portal to Termina, where he had a history as a friend of the four guardian giants. He entered the portal, but upon seeing him, the people of the world sent him away. He left for a while, and put the mask on, hoping to hide his identity from the people next time. Instead the spirit of the Demon Queen took over him, but she was confused as to where she was, and didn't realize she was in Hyrule.

The Stalkid had enough power left over his body to control himself and began mugging people in the woods. One such victim was the young Hero of Time, and the Stalkid took the Ocarina of Time. The boy gave chase, and the two entered the portal to Termina. After cursing the boy, the Stalkid went back into Termina. The spirit of the mask, enraged that it was now outside of the barrier once again, completely took over the Stalkid's body. The Hero of Time set out to save the world of Termina from the evil mask which had summoned the moon to crush the world. He used the power of the Ocarina of Time to relive the same three days over and over, and freed the Four Guardians, who promised to help him. He confronted the Stalkid on the Clock Tower, and fought Majora's Mask inside the moon. After defeating it, he left the parallel dimension and returned to Hyrule, believing that the spirit of the mask was gone forever. But spirits that powerful never die easily…

* * *

><p>HYRULE, EASTERN FOREST<p>

I strained my ears for any sound of danger. But there were no sounds to hear, save my own breathing, the _clop-clop _of my horse Epona's hooves, and her occasional bray. For the umpteenth time I checked my pocket for the Ocarina of Time. For the umpteenth time I remembered the departure from Hyrule, my homeland.

It had been about 3 years since I had saved Hyrule and Termina. I had been staying in the Kokiri Forest after turning down a generous offer from Princess Zelda to stay in one of Hyrule Castle's guest rooms. I watched as time went by and I grew taller than my Kokiri friends, who would always remain no more than 10 years old. My days were divided between training, playing games, and wandering Hyrule, helping people who were having trouble and visiting old friends. Somehow I always ended up at the fishing pond. I was quickly a favorite of the pond owner, whose hair was beginning to fall out already. Then one day, around a week ago, Impa, the Sage of Shadow and Princess Zelda's attendant, came to the forest and gave me a letter. It was an invitation to the Carnival of Time in Termina from everyone in Clock Town. I thanked Impa, and said my farewells to the Kokiri, then left the forest. I had made a stop at Lon Lon ranch to pick up Epona from Malon. I had gotten a strange feeling in my gut as I looked at her, which still puzzled me. I had then travelled to Hyrule Castle to say a formal goodbye to Princess Zelda. She asked her father, King Torren, to let me dine with them and stay the night at the castle. After I woke up, I thanked the king and bade Zelda goodbye. She entrusted me with the Ocarina of Time, then I began my journey west, to the portal to the alternate dimension that was Termina.

All of a sudden I missed Hyrule. I had half a mind to turn Epona around right now and go back. But I knew the Carnival of Time in Clock Town would take my mind off that, especially since there wasn't an evil moon to save Termina from this time. I prayed to the gods that there weren't going to be any problems, and that for once, I could relax and not sleep with sword in hand like I always do. I wanted to see how Kafei and Anju were doing as a couple. I wanted to see Gorman and the Zora band perform. And I wanted to see Stalkid and how he was doing on stopping playing his tricks. I gave Epona an encouraging kick, and we galloped further into the darkness of the forest, heading for Clock Town.

For a long time, we rode through the woods, my left hand on the long Gilded Sword strapped to my back. You never knew what could be in the woods these days. Then something caught my eye, and I reined Epona in. It was the stump drawing Stalkid and I had made when I had left Termina. I stared at it. Unconsciously, I let go of my sword. As I was lost in my memories, two small spheres of light appeared from behind a tree. They turned to each other, seeming to converse, then flew towards me at top speed. I heard their travel and snapped out of my memories, drawing my sword, cursing my own ignorance. I looked around wildly, and they flew in front of Epona, spooking her. She reared, a frenzied squeal erupting from her and I yelled as I was thrown off. My head smacked into a large rock and I saw stars, which quickly faded to blackness.

"Shut _up_ Tael, he's coming around!" said a voice that was distantly familiar. I groaned, sat up, and rubbed my head.

"Ow," I said.

"You okay, Link?" said another voice (again, familiar) as I opened my eyes. I looked around and saw 2 glowing spheres with wings, one purple and one a creamy color. I recognized them as Tatl (the cream one) and Tael (purple). They were twin fairies that I had met my first time in Termina.

"Uh, yeah…" I said.

"Tee-hee," snickered Tatl, blinking herself tauntingly (fairies can glow different colors – always returning to their original – and can blink themselves on and off; _REALLY_ annoying when you are trying to sleep). Tatl was the more impatient and rash one. My first memory of her is her whacking me repeatedly in the face to prevent me from following Stalkid.

"Hi, Link," said Tael. He was more mature than Tatl, the calm and intelligent fairy that reminded me of Navi.

_ Navi...,_ I thought morosely. Where could she be?

"Hi guys," I said. "How have you been? Haven't seen you in three years!" Tatl giggled again. I cocked an eyebrow at her.

"He still hasn't figured it out yet!" she whispered to Tael.

"Shut up," he whispered back.

"Figured what out?" I asked.

"We spooked your horse again just like last time HAHAHA!" cackled Tatl.

"Last time…?" I said, not understanding. Then the memory came back: Tatl and Tael had flown up to Epona, spooking her and throwing me off, allowing the masked Stalkid to rob me of the Ocarina of Time. And they had done it again. I smiled. An urge to laugh suddenly came over me, and it overpowered me. I collapsed into a fit of laughter, and Tatl and Tael joined in. "You… You got me again!" I said, struggling to get the words past my laughter.

"Hey, how's Stalkid?" I asked after the laughing had subsided. I had remembered the stump drawing and was looking at it. He had decided to stay in Termina to make up for all the things he had done to the people of Termina.

"Last we saw him, he was doing great. Almost immediately after you left, he joined the Bombers gang!" said Tael.

"The Bombers? Oh, great! If anyone can set him straight, it's Jim and his pals!" I said. Then I thought about what Tael had said. "Wait a minute, what do you mean, 'last we saw him?'"

"Um, well, we haven't actually been to Clock Town in about 2 years. Fairies are most at home in the woods, so, after seeing that Stalkid was being good, we left and came back here," said Tatl.

"Ah," I said. I looked around and cursed. "Where's Epona?" Tatl and Tael blinked and dimmed slightly.

"She, uh," said Tatl.

"Ran off," Tael finished.

"Sorry!" they said together. They dimmed a bit more, enough for their light to become slightly translucent, and I could slightly make out their diminutive bodies. It looked like they were cringing, almost as if they were expecting me to grab them out of the air or yell at them.

Not wanting to be mean to them, I said, "It's okay," and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. I played a simple melody that Malon had taught me three years ago, something she called 'Epona's Song.' Within a minute, I heard hoof beats, and I turned to see Epona galloping through the trees towards me. She trotted to a stop in front of me and closed her eyes as she listened to her favorite song. I played another round to calm her down a bit more, then put the Ocarina back in my pocket. I reached in my other pocket and pulled out a few sugar cubes, and fed them to her. Tatl and Tael watched all this in silence.

"You're really good with her," Tael remarked. I took the compliment silently and stroked Epona's mane. For the first time, I looked closely at her, seeing how much she had grown since I had last rode her. She was already growing into the beautiful mare I had ridden as an adult. I stroked her mane and admired her growth for a little while, then realized the sky was beginning to turn red.

_How long was I out?_ I thought. I got back up on Epona's saddle and looked around. Stalkid and I had drawn the picture in a particular clearing in which he had thrown me off my own horse and rode away. But that had been while he was still wearing Majora's Mask. I shivered as I remembered the frightening mask that had tried to destroy all of Termina. I still had nightmares about it and its moon every now and then, and each one had me waking in cold sweat. They had increased during the week I had spent travelling to Termina. _If I ever see that evil, heart-shaped piece of painted wood again, it'll be too soon,_ I thought as I lightly touched Epona's sides with my heels and she trotted off toward the tunnel that led to the enormous hole that served as the entrance to Termina. "Just a bit further now girl" I said to Epona. She nickered in response.

Tatl and Tael flew around my head as Epona entered the tunnel into another clearing with 4 large stumps that increased in height. Partway up a cliff, there was another tunnel, surrounded by huge mushrooms. Before, I had had to jump to each stump in order to reach the tunnel, but now, I saw that someone had built a pathway between the stumps, allowing Epona to walk to the tunnel. I remembered what the letter had said about making the way more "travel-friendly," and wondered what they had done about the huge pit that was the actual portal between the two worlds. Upon entering the tunnel that led to the hole, I saw that Mutoh and his carpenters had built a spiraling wooden scaffold that led to the bottom. Just then, loud growling came from behind me. I turned around in the saddle, recognizing the distinctive growl of…

"Wolfos. Of course I am ambushed by something just as I'm on the home stretch!" I said, annoyed. Then I saw it is not just one Wolfos, but a pack. I swore as Epona got spooked from the growling and bolted down the scaffold, throwing me off yet again. I kipped up, drawing the Gilded Sword and the Hylian Shield that Zelda had had custom made for me upon returning to Hyrule ( After all, I was a Hylian Warrior, and besides, Termina's Mirror Shield had been… creepy). I whipped around as a bark came from behind, and saw the lead Wolfos had leaped at me, teeth and claws bared. I ducked, and it flew over my head, landing on the scaffolding. Acting quickly, I shook my shield farther up my arm, freeing my hand. I grabbed the Wolfos' tail, and, summoning my strength, lifted it off the ground and threw it down into the abyss. I winced as its piercing howl filled the air, slowly fading away.

The other five Wolfos, angered at the death of their leader, advanced on me, now barking aggressively. I noticed they were barking in unison, a trick I knew they used to disorient their prey. But I had seen this before, and I thought up a plan as they formed into a circle around me. Concentrating, I drew upon the magic power the goddesses had given to the Hylians, and focused it down the blade of the Gilded Sword. When it began to glow red, I switched to a backhand grip, a trick I had developed that allowed me to do what I was about to do without having to turn my wrist, as the sword was easier to hold straight with a flat wrist. I started to wind up listening to the barking, and then as they opened their jaws to bark once more, I unleashed Kaitengiri, which meant spinning slash in Ancient Hylian (the Kokiri had called it a spin attack when they watched me train because they found Kaitengiri hard to pronounce).

Normally, a Wolfos's thick bones make it impossible to harm them anywhere but their tails, but their insides were also vulnerable, and those were what I hit. The sword cut off their jaws, and the wave of destructive magic that expanded from it entered them through their exposed throats and killed them from the inside. I shuddered, and allowed the magic to recede back into its natural flow through my body. _Nasty business,_ I thought as Tatl and Tael descended from high above, where they had been safe from the violence.

"Kaitengiri, Link? On a mere pack of Wolfos?" questioned Tatl. "Bit forceful, don't you think?"

"Maybe so, but they interrupted the wrong vacation. I was looking forward to bedding down in the Stock Pot Inn right away, but no," I said, an edge of sarcasm entering my voice. "No, they had to come and spook my horse and piss me off!" I sighed and sheathed my sword. "Ugh, I hate killing animals. It was one thing when they were under Ganondorf's control, but these free-roaming ones… It just feels wrong."

Tatl flew down in front of my face, bathing it in warm fairy light. "It's okay, Link. You were just defending yourself."

"Yeah," I said, not quite consoled. I felt I should do what hunters do in Hyrule; I took each body one by one and laid them on the ground outside the tunnel, then prayed to Farore, the goddess of courage and creator of life, to comfort their souls and return them to the flow of life and death.

"Uhh, why were you just talking to yourself?" asked Tatl.

"Sis, he was praying. He's religious, he believes in gods."

"'Believes in gods?'" I said incredulously. "I've seen proof that the three Hylian Goddesses exist. In fact, I bear their mark!" I held up my left hand so they could see the Triforce symbol on it. "Don't you guys worship the Four Giants or anything?"

"There are a few who do, but most Terminans abandoned worship and magic centuries ago, focusing instead on science," said Tael. I remembered how amazed I had been by Termina's technological achievements when I first entered Clock Town. Heck, even the inside of the clock tower had me amazed; I had never seen such a huge waterwheel, let alone one that turned a huge clock. And the fact that the clock tower could change so that people could stand on it had been even more amazing. It suddenly occurred to me that if Termina for some reason decided to invade Hyrule, we could fall quite easily if their military technology was as advanced as their everyday technology. But technology aside, I couldn't imagine not having a religion, even if it wasn't a true religion like the Trinity.

_Or, at least, we know the goddesses are real,_ I thought. _As far as an afterlife goes, nobody's sent a letter from it saying, "Hey! Dying isn't all that bad!"_ I shook my head. "We'd better get going; I need to find Epona and calm her." I went back into the tunnel and ran down the scaffolding. I was impressed: there wasn't a single part where it felt rickety or indeed anything but sturdy, even though the pit was hundreds, perhaps thousands of feet deep; yet another example of Termina's technological superiority. After twenty minutes of spiraling downward, I stopped at the bottom, bending over with my hands on my knees and breathing heavily. A neigh brought my head up again, and I saw Epona, who despite having been down here for around half an hour was still acting nervous. I approached her slowly, and she turned, saw me and trotted over, snorting nervously. I put my hand on her nose and spoke in a calming tone to her. Once again, the two fairies just watched as I took care of her.

After calming her down, I led her to the spring water pool in the center of the cave and let her drink from it, quenching my own thirst as well. I stood up and wiped my mouth, letting out a deep sigh of refreshment. After she finished drinking, I took Epona by the bridle and led her through the tunnels to the inside of the Clock Tower.

"Almost there!" I thought aloud, Tatl and Tael flying around me. I climbed the scaffolding up to the large double doors that led into Clock Town. I remembered struggling to open them as a Deku Scrub the first time I had ever seen them, both because they were incredibly heavy to the weak body, and because the Happy Mask Salesman's grin was boring its way into the back of my head. I now put my hands on them and pushed them open, with as much effort as I would have if I had been in Mikau's body 3 years ago. My own growth had been remarkable too; after only 3 of the seven years it would take for me to be the same age as I was when I was the Hero of Time, I was already more than halfway to the strength and height I had had. A warm dusk breeze brushed my face as I stepped into South Clock Town, a fine "welcome back" all in itself. _It is good to be back, _I thought.

* * *

><p>Author: So there it is: the first chapter of my first fanfic! Nothing too exciting yet, but I hope you will read on. I don't have too much planned out, but I have a basic plot outline, so R&amp;R! Also, Torren is an original name for the King of Hyrule<p> 


	2. Back in Termina

SOUTH CLOCK TOWN

"LINK!" came a voice from my right. I turned, and saw a young boy with a red hat running towards me.

"Oh, geez," said Tatl and Tael at the same time, and they darted away.

"Hey, Jim!" I said, preparing to perform the Bombers' secret handshake, which I had been going over in my head the past week. Jim reached me and we both held out our arms and did the secret handshake.

"Glad to see you still remember," he said, stepping back and grinning up at me.

"Yeah. How could I forget?" _Easily, _I answered myself. It was a complex thing, that handshake, easily forgettable over 3 years.

"Have you been continuing our work back in your homeland? Helping people and stuff?"

"Yeah, but I kinda lost the notebook…" 'Lost' in this case meant 'threw away the useless piece of crap,' because I had used up all the places and stickers rehelping everyone in Termina on my final 3-day repetition so that they would remember me if I succeeded. "Anyway, where's everybody else? I was half-expecting to be overwhelmed by people who wanted to welcome me back."

"Oh, that'll come. Though, if you don't want it to, I'd avoid the Stock Pot Inn."

"Damn, and that's the only place I could stay in Clock Town! Tricky folk, you Terminians." Then an idea struck me. "You know, I have to drop Epona off at Romani Ranch anyways… Maybe Cremia will let me stay there!"

"A brilliant idea! Though they'll probably just crowd around the South Gate tomorrow morning."

"Well, at least I will be well rested for that. Give Kafei and Anju my best!" I told Jim as I headed to the South Gate.

"Hey, I remember you!" said the guard at the gate. "You're that kid who stopped the moon a few years back! You've finally come back, huh?"

"Yeah," I said. "I'm going to the ranch to drop my horse off and hopefully stay the night as well."

"Well, you can go right on through then, sir," the guard said amiably. "I like that shield," he added. I took the compliment silently and proceeded through the gate out into Southern Termina Field. I looked around, expecting Chu-Chus or Blue Bubbles, but the field was empty. Nothing but crows and the odd Guay. I smiled, wanting to see this peaceful Termina in the morning. Looking to the west, towards the ocean, I saw the sun setting, and wished I could have been at the sea. Then, I headed off toward the decorative arch leading to Milk Road.

As I walked down Milk Road, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I ducked as a pitchfork sprouted from the air where my head had been a millisecond before and pivoted, drawing my sword. I slammed the pommel into my attacker's navel and he sprawled forward into the dirt. I planted my boot firmly on his back and ripped off his Garo's Mask. It was the youngest Gorman Brother, and he was begging me to let him go.

"I won't do it again," he whined, "just let me go!"

"Where's your brother, don't you two go mugging together?" I asked, looking around.

"Wait, I know that voice… Aren't you that foreign kid with the mule?"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that last word," I said increasing the pressure on his back. "Now answer me; where is your brother?"

"He's back at the Gorman Ranch! I'm on my own, let me go!" I did as he asked, and he got up and ran away. It must have been quite a strange sight: a grown man running full tilt away from a teenager. I shook my head as I sheathed my sword and took Epona's bridle once more, leading her down milk road to Romani Ranch. Upon reaching the ranch house, I knocked on the door. It was answered by Romani herself, who still looked exactly like Malon. I once again got that strange feeling in my gut as I looked at her.

"Oh! Hey there, Grasshopper!" she said.

"Uh, hi. I'm, uh, just dropping off Epona, and I was wondering if, uh, I could stay the night in the barn, or, uh, something." Inside my head, I slapped myself. _What in Din's name was that? You've never stuttered talking to her before, what is wrong with you?_

"Oh, yeah, sure, let me just ask Cremia," said Romani, snapping me back to reality. "CREMIA!" she shouted, shattering the calm night with her voice. Cremia came up to the door and saw me. "Oh, hey! You're Link, aren't you?" she said in a friendly voice.

"He wants to stay in the barn, sis," said Romani.

"The barn?" said Cremia, apparently shocked. "But we have a perfectly good guest room! We didn't have it the last time you were here, but we built an addition! You can stay in there."

"Oh, thank you!" I said. "Can I put Epona in the stable?" I asked, concentrating with all my might on not stuttering (the strange feeling was strong with both of Malon's doppelgangers).

"I'll come, Grasshopper!" said Romani.

"Ugh, Romani, he has a real name you know!" said Cremia, annoyed.

"It's fine, I'm used to it from her," I said. Cremia sighed and shut the door behind us. We walked to the barn in silence, then I handed Romani Epona's bridle. Romani sang softly to her (Romani's voice was just as beautiful as Malon's) while I pitched some hay into something the Terminans had invented that they called a wheelbarrow. It was like a wagon, but with handles, two legs so it could stand on its own, and a single wheel in front. You picked up the legs and walked it on the wheel to carry things. It was simple, yet ingenious, so simple that I was surprised Hyrule hadn't made anything like it yet. I carted the hay out the door, and Romani followed me to the stable, still singing to Epona. I pitched the hay from the wheelbarrow into the trough, then closed the door. Epona stuck her head out over it and nickered at me. I smiled and stayed still, knowing that stroking her when she was calm was not affectionate in her view.

"You get a good night's rest, you hear? You've been a good girl over the past week and you deserve it!" I said. She nickered and pulled her head back inside. Romani smiled at me.

"I'm glad you know enough not to touch her when she's trying to show affection. Most people get their hands all up in their nose and mane when horses come up to them, and it's really not what they want," she said. I nodded as she continued. "You're just in time for dinner! Oh, and um… could you stay over the next couple days?"

"Why," I asked, looking at her suspiciously.

"Because," she said, "it's almost time for _them_ to come."

"Them? What are you… Oh…!" I remembered the strange creatures

from the sky who came every year before the Carnival to steal the ranch's cows. "Do you want my help again?"

"Yes," she said. They've started bringing more ever since that first time we stopped them. I think they are getting desperate."

"Have you ever tried, well, communicating with them?" I asked. "Have you tried asking them why they want cows in particular?"

"I did try once, but the one I tried communicating with through everything from pictures to hand gestures to words just pushed right past me every time." We reached the house then, and I opened the door, letting Romani in before me. After a hearty dinner and some storytelling, we all retired for the night. The guest room was cozy, and I was tired. The stories I had told about Hyrule still swam through my head, and I found myself thinking about girls for some reason as the comfy bed lulled me to sleep…

_I am standing in the middle of Hyrule Field, facing the Kokiri Forest's entrance. A voice sounds from behind me, and I turn to see Princess Zelda riding her white horse towards me. I drop into a hasty kneel as she dismounts and she tells me to stand up, silly boy. Another voice comes from behind, and I turn and see Saria running towards me from the forest. I wave as she approaches. She smiles up at me, and I grin back. Another voice sounds from the right, and I see Princess Ruto running to meet me as well. I once again drop to one knee, but Ruto is not as easygoing as Zelda, and I have to wait several seconds for her to give me permission to stand again. I look around at all the girls gathered around me, and realize one is missing: Malon. But I hear hoofbeats soon after and turn towards Lon Lon Ranch to see her riding Epona towards me. She tosses her red hair as she dismounts and walks towards me. She greets me with her usual nickname of "Fairy Boy." I blush, embarrassed that she called me that in the presence of my best friend and two princesses. I look around at all my friends-who-are-girls and for a moment am just glad to be back in Hyrule with them. Then suddenly a shadow falls over us and I whip around. Hovering behind Saria is a huge, spiked, heart-shaped object with terrifying orange eyes._

"Aren't you glad to see me too, Link?" _asks Majora's Mask, its voice dripping with venom, yet seductive in tone. I back away, bumping into Zelda. I turn around and see she is still smiling despite the hovering horror directly in front of her. I tell her to run as I reach for my sword. It isn't strapped over my back. I turn around to see Majora's Mask moving closer to me. _"Well? Aren't you?" _it says in that hateful yet seductive voice. I turn around to tell Zelda to run again, but as I do so, her face begins to contort, turning the same shade of purple as the mask behind me, her eyes growing huge and turning the same terrifying color. Within seconds, Zelda's face has turned into another Majora's Mask. I yelp, and start running to the left. Ruto steps in front of me and her face too begins to warp and change into Majora's Mask. I let out a strangled yell and run in a random direction, not wanting to see Saria or Malon undergo the horrific transformation as well. Suddenly, Majora-Zelda materializes in front of me in a flash of green energy. Turning around, I see the original Majora's Mask flying towards me. _"What's wrong, boy? I thought you were supposed to bear the _Triforce of Courage_!" _it says, putting a mocking tone into the last three words. The seduction is gone from its voice, it is now lined with nothing but pure malice. I turn to run. Majora-Ruto blocks my path. I turn again. Majora-Saria jumps in front of me. I turn yet again. Majora-Zelda teleports 3 inches from me and I smash into her, and fall over. I roll with my fall, turning around mid-roll, and come to my feet an inch from Malon. _

"_Malon, please," I plead. "Please don't change!" Majora's Mask drops from above and behind her and screams, _"IT'S TOO LATE, BOY!"_ Malon's face warps and changes, the slowest and most disturbing transformation I've seen._

"GET HIM!" _it screeches. I fall on my back once again, and they gather around me, and suddenly the original Majora's Mask drops from the sky right in front of me, filling my vision with those terrible orange eyes… _

I launched myself off the bed, landing in a roll and coming to my feet where my sword was and ripped it from the scabbard. I whipped around, magic power coursing through the blade, lighting up the room. Nothing. Nothing at all. I let the magic fade and recede back into its flow through my body. I took deep breaths. _Calm_, I thought. _Calm down, just another dream._ But that had been the worst one yet. Each of the dreams had incorporated something I had thought about that day; it was as though someone was reading my mind during the day and perverting my thoughts into nightmares about Majora's Mask at night. I heard footsteps and then the door opened. Romani stood in the doorway, a confused look on her face.

"What's all the noise? There was yelling and then a thud and…" She saw the Gilded Sword in my hand. "Screeching metal. What happened, Grasshopper?"

"Nothing," I lied. "Just a bad dream."

"You want to talk about it? It usually helps me."

"No… I'll be fine," I said slowly.

"Well, alright then…" Romani sounded genuinely concerned. "I hope you can sleep better."

"Thank you. So do I."

"Good night." She shut the door.

I fell into a fitful sleep after that, alternating between good dreams and more nightmares, but none as bad as the one with Majora's Mask. However, I woke decently rested, so I put on my tunic and asked if I could help with any chores to repay them for their hospitality. Cremia told me to shut up, sat me down at the table and shoved a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me. I started to protest but she placed her finger on my lips and pointed at the plate.

"Eat," she said. "Relax! You're on vacation! Sit back, gain a few pounds, cool off, all that R&R stuff! You don't need to repay us, we have plenty of excess food, and your company is enough payment. Just relax."

She removed her finger from my lips and went upstairs to wake Romani. I sighed and dug in. Romani came downstairs and waved to me, then went out the door to start her chores. Cremia started to follow, and I called to her to stop. She turned and looked at me.

"Um, can you ask Romani not to take care of Epona? I'd like to do that myself," I said. She sighed and nodded, then went out the door. I finished my breakfast, then followed. I used the wheelbarrow to bring Epona fresh hay, then washed and brushed her. Then, I saddled her up and took her for a ride around the ranch. I visited Grog and his Cuccos, and Mamamu Yan at her Doggie Racetrack, then unsaddled Epona and left her to graze behind the house. I then climbed up onto the roof of the house and laid on my back, looking up into the sky. It was a beautiful day, and the fact that there wasn't a creepy moon ruining the blue sky was a huge improvement over the last time I looked at the Terminian sky. I watched as the clouds wandered slowly across the blue wilderness of the sky, and wondered, not for the first time, what it would be like to fly with them. I hear someone climbing the ladder behind me, and Romani's grinning face obscures my view.

"Hey there, Grasshopper," she said. "Thought I might find you here. You always did have your head in the clouds!"

"Oh, ha ha," I said sarcastically. She lay down next to me, and that funny feeling in my gut suddenly was lit ablaze. _She's so close,_ I thought, and I shivered slightly.

"Something wrong, Grasshopper?" I realized that, just like Malon, she had given me a nickname based on the first thing she noticed about me, only in this case, it was the fact I wore green clothes instead of the fact I had a fairy with me. _Wait a second, why do I keep thinking about Malon? It's weird, this feeling I get when I'm around her or her look-alike, and the fact that my thoughts always seem to go back to her. I don't get it around Zelda or any other girls my age, only Malon. Why…?_

The sound of snapping fingers ripped me from my pondering, and I flinched at the sharp sound. "Hello? You there Grasshopper?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm here."

"You still thinkin' about that nightmare you had?" I shuddered as I remembered the vivid dream about the one thing that truly inspires fear in me.

"Goddesses, no. Don't remind me."

"Then what ARE you thinking about?"

"Girls," I said, without thinking. She sat up and her jaw dropped. Realizing what I had said, I tried not to turn as red as her hair without success.

"GIRLS?" she shouted incredulously, then collapsed into a fit of laughter.

"Hey, what's so funny? I'm a guy, it's kinda natural I'll think about girls!" I protested, feeling my face turn, if possible, even redder.

"Nothing, it's just that… well… you just seem so… rugged, more of a loner; not the kind of guy that would think about GIRLS in his spare time!" She had another laughing fit.

"Um, uh, yeah… well…" My voice trailed off as I searched for something to say.

"Go on!" she teased.

"I'm a, uh, sophisticated guy. Yeah. There's lots of stuff you wouldn't expect from a, uh, guy like me." She gaped at me for a moment, and then erupted into the heaviest fit of laughter yet.

"Sophisticated? _Sophisticated?_" she said in between the aftershocks. "Grasshopper, I could read you easier than I could a book!"

"HEY!" shouted a voice from below. Romani swore quietly and said, "Yeah, sis?"

"You didn't finish mucking out! And, it's your turn to milk Telfa!"

"Ugh," said Romani as she stood up.

"Telfa?" I asked

"She's probably our best Chateau producer, but she doesn't much like being milked."

"Is she a kicker?" I asked

"Yep."

"Hang on, I've got something that might help." I dropped off the roof of the house, breaking my fall with a roll, and ran inside to the guest room. There I grabbed my Hylian Shield from my pile of gear and ran back outside, where Cremia was telling Romani that she had heard the particularly naughty word Romani had intoned on the roof.

"Here," I said, interrupting Cremia's lecture. I gave Romani the shield. "My friend back home always keeps one handy for the kickers. I won't be needing it too much today, so you can borrow it."

"How nice!" said Cremia, smiling politely at me. She then directed a furious glare at Romani, who had turned to leave. "I'M STILL NOT DONE WITH YOU, YOUNG LADY!" I decided to head back to Clock Town at this point, so I ran and grabbed the Gilded Sword then whipped out the Ocarina of Time.

When the swirling winds of the Song of Soaring dropped me off at Clock Town's Owl Statue, I immediately looked to my right. The entire populace of Clock Town and, it seemed, several tourists were all gathered around the South Gate, waiting for me to traipse through into their "trap." I stifled a laugh as I walked up to the crowd from behind. There were many whisperings about where I was right now and whether or not I was even coming today. I tapped one of the tourists on the shoulder and whispered, "Who are we waiting for?"

"From what I gather, it's a kid in green clothes that they say saved the world a few years ago," she said.

"Does he look anything like this?" I asked, taking a step back from her. She looked at me and said, "Yep. Exactly." And she turned her attention back to the gate. Then, in a classic moment, she took another look at me and gasped.

"HE'S HERE!" she shrieked. Everybody whipped around to see me, grinning behind them.

"Hiya," I said, knowing I would regret acting like this later.

There was a tremendous shout of "WELCOME BACK!" and everybody started trying to get past each other to get at me, to shake the hand of the Boy Who Saved the World. The tourists, who had been at the back (which was now the front), got to me first, and there were introductions and autographs and all the other celebrity junk. Then came the actual residents of Clock Town. Mayor Dotour and Madame Aroma were first, and they gave me an incredible handmade pine mask bearing the Hylian Phoenix before returning to his office to deal with the countless things that awaited their attention in the days leading up to the Carnival of Time. After that came the people who ran the Bomb Shop, who presented me with a new and improved Blast Mask ("It recharges faster!"), the astronomer, who gave me a folding telescope ("So you can look at the heavens anywhere!"), and the Curiosity Shop guy, who said to come see him later for his gift. I had high suspicions he had got it on some black market somewhere.

After him, Anju and Kafei approached me and placed an orange rupee and a purple rupee in my hand. I tried to refuse so much money, but they insisted ("You made our marriage possible! We can't ever thank you enough!"). Then Jim and the Bombers presented me with a hefty tome entitled _A History of the Ancients_, which I was sure would make for an interesting read. The Gorman Troupe gave me free tickets to all their performances in the Carnival, as did the Zora band, Dal Blue. The Deku Butler showed up to cordially invite me to the Deku Palace for a celebration, which I graciously accepted. Mutoh and his carpenters gave me a large block of oak and a whittling knife. Tingle gave me a full color scale map of Termina, and then flew back into the sky with a cry of "Tingle, Tingle, Kooloo-Limpah!" Finally, the guys from the Mountain Smithy gave me a large container of coffee beans and a new, more durable, decorative scabbard for the Gilded Sword.

My arms full with my gifts, I thanked everybody and told them how much I was looking forward to the Carnival the day after tomorrow. Then suddenly, a group of tourist girls ran up to me and asked if they could hold anything for me, and they squealed with delight when I gratefully said yes. I made a quick trip to the bank to deposit the money that Anju and Kafei had given me, then found a very large box which I asked the girls to put the gifts in. I then pulled out the Goron Mask and put it on. Most of the girls screamed and ran away when they saw I could change my shape, but some stayed and looked on in awe. I was more preoccupied with getting everything back to Lon Lon Ranch safely (I had seen Sakon the thief dashing about in the shadows), so I hadn't really noticed that they had been subtly trying to flirt with me during the time they had been following me. However, being thoroughly uninterested in girls or romance at the moment, I played the Song of Soaring on Darmani's drums and quickly picked up the box before the winds took me to Milk Road, leaving the tourist girls behind in a state of awe.

I quickly brought the box to the guest room at Romani Ranch, then decided to tidy up the room a little. I did something I called "strategic clutter," in which I left my most useful items out in what seemed to be random places, but were actually quite specific so that I would be able to react quickly in the rare event that I may actually get attacked while resting, sleeping, or doing recreational activities; it was a habit. I left my sword up against my bed (which was closest to the door, and would require close-quarters combat were I to be awakened), my slingshot and several Deku Seeds on the desk, (farthest from the door, which would allow just enough distance for a ranged weapon), and several Deku Nuts underneath the window (anyone trying to break in through the window would step on the nuts, setting them off, which would blind them and wake me). The rest of my gear, I left in the special pouch all Kokiri receive when they are young (it's a magical pouch that lets you keep an infinite number of things in it and it always stays the same size on the outside, as the Kokiri are insane collectors of anything and everything. I use it to hold all my gear because it never seems to get heavier either).

With my strategic clutter all set up, I took _A History of the Ancients_ out of the gift box and went outside up onto the roof to read. As I thought, it was a very interesting book. After a little while, I heard Romani climbing up onto the roof again.

"What is it with you in this spot?" she asked me.

"Back home, my tree house is about this high off the ground, so I'm kinda used to being up high. Also, even when I'm on vacation, I like to see the entrances at all times. You could think of me kind of like a lookout."

"Lookout?" she exclaimed. "What do we need a lookout for? This is a ranch! Who would attack a ranch, Grasshopper?"

"Uh…" I said, thinking. "The Gorman Brothers?" Romani made a _pfff_ sound.

"Please. Those bumbling bozos couldn't steal a nut from a squirrel with two weeks of planning! We don't need a lookout, and you don't have to spend all your free time here. Isn't there anyone you haven't seen yet or something?" I thought for a minute, and remembered Pamela in Ikana Canyon. She and her father hadn't been in Clock Town when I went there. I put the book back in my room, grabbed my sword and bow, then pulled out the Ocarina to Soar to Ikana Canyon. Before I could start playing, Romani rushed in and said, "Here, I'm done with this." She handed me my Hylian Shield. I thanked her, strapped the shield over my back with my sword, and played the Song of Soaring.

Author: Okay, here is my FEEBLE attempt at the start of Link and Romani's relationship. Fun fact: Originally, Link was going to go back to Hyrule after realizing his feelings for Malon THROUGH Romani, and Majora followed. I thought it would be simpler and more dramatic to simply continue the relationship with Romani through the story. Note that while I do have a romance, this is mainly and action/adventure story; thus I do not have romance in the description. Warning: I am terrible at writing romance, so prepare for WTFs in the chapters ahead. As for the Bomber's secret handshake, it's secret so I can't describe it. EDIT: the MASSIVE typo that occured when Romani calls Cremia has been fixed.


	3. Encounter

IKANA CANYON

When the winds dropped me off in Ikana Canyon, I set off toward the Music Box House to say hello to Pamela and her father. Reaching the door step, I knocked on the door. Within a few seconds, I heard footsteps and Pamela opened it. She gasped.

"Oh! You're that guy who saved my daddy!" she said.

"Yeah, that's me," I said. "Is he here, Pamela?" She nodded and opened the door to let me in.

"Ah! A visitor! Link, if I am not mistaken?" said a loud voice from the stairway to the left. I turned to see Pamela's father walking up the stairs from the basement, and nodded in answer to his question. "What can I do for you this fine day?" he asked.

"Just wanted to drop in and say hi," I said. "I also wanted to check on you guys, since you weren't in Clock Town. Don't you know it's almost time for the Carnival?"

"The Carnival?" exclaimed Pamela's father. "It's that time of year again already?"

"Ooo, daddy, can we go? Please, can we go daddy?" Pamela said, running up to her father and throwing her arms around his waist.

"Why of course, Pamela!" he said, tousling her hair.

"Yaaaaay!" exclaimed Pamela, jumping up and down. She then ran downstairs. I shook my head.

"Wow. The last time I saw her, she was so serious and mature," I remarked. "Now, she's acting like the little girl she is. I wish I could've met her when she was like this."

"Yes, she was certainly acting much more mature while I was, ahem, cursed," said Pamela's father. "However, a few days after you cured me, she started acting like my little girl again. Ah, but where is my head. Won't you join us for lunch, Link?" I suddenly became aware of a gnawing hunger.

"Yes, thank you, professor."

"Professor? There is no need to be so formal, my boy. You may call me Daron."

"Well, that fits. I always thought you were pretty _darin'_ to live here," I joke, grinning. Daron chuckled.

"Ah, humor is a remarkable thing. I have always wondered at its origin. But, I forget myself once again! Please make yourself at home while I prepare lunch." He went downstairs. I undid my sword belt and left it and my bow in a corner before looking at the various notes on the walls. Pamela's father was a researcher of the undead, which was why he chose to live in Ikana. The walls were covered in notes, posters of ReDeads, Gibdos and Garo, pages from various books, and several of Pamela's drawings. I smiled as I saw drawings of Pamela and her father playing together, a giant Pamela stepping on Gibdos with her father cheering in the background, and a large rainbow in a blue sky.

After several minutes, Daron came back upstairs with a plate piled high with sandwiches and a large bowl of salad. He set them down on the table and called for Pamela. He noticed me gazing at the walls. "Have I piqued your interest?" he asked. I nodded.

"I've always been a little interested in this kind of thing." I turned to face him. "Have you ever gone to the castle?"

"The castle?" he asked, clearly shocked. "No, it's far too dangerous! Why, it must be swarming with ReDeads and Garo!"

"I don't think it is anymore, ever since I defeated Igos du Ikana," I said. "His ghost should still be around; maybe you could talk to him and get some absolute facts."

"You… What?" he asked, incredulously. At that moment, Pamela came upstairs carrying three bowls. She put them on the table and sat down. "Ah, maybe you can tell me another time. For now, let us eat!" We sat down with Pamela and took sandwiches and salad.

"Thank you very much for this," I said.

"You're quite welcome," replied Daron. "You know, you're quite a young boy to be an adventurer. Do your parents worry?" I froze.

"I… never really knew my parents," I said quietly, putting my sandwich down. "My father died in the War of Unification, and my mother was badly wounded while trying to keep me safe. She took me to the Kokiri Forest and asked the Great Deku Tree to take care of me, then died soon after."

"I am sorry," he said. Then a confused look came over him. "Wait… your mother asked a tree to take care of you?"

"The Great Deku Tree. He is a sentient tree, and he is the guardian of the forest," I explained.

"Incredible. You come from a strange land, Link." Pamela had been staring at me for a while.

"Your mommy is dead too?" she asked. I nodded.

"Pamela, you shouldn't ask him about that," said Daron.

"No, it's fine," I said. "It's actually kind of good to talk about it." We ate in silence for a while. "So, how do you get supplies, living way out here? It's kind of… inaccessible," I said, thinking of the two sheer walls that I had had to hookshot up to get to the Music Box House for the first time.

"Well, there is this nice man who also lives here," said Daron. "Every week, we set up a ladder that allows him to climb up from the canyon, and he delivers food and things to us."

"Wait a second… You get your supplies from Sakon?" I asked, shocked. "You DO know he's a thief, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes. However, he is the only person that comes here, so we kind of have to rely on him. We stopped letting him in when we noticed things were beginning to go missing though."

I helped clear the dishes after we finished eating, then said goodbye and left. I began to play the Song of Soaring again, but I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. This being the Kingdom of the Dead, movement should not be occurring, and I turned to look. What I saw made me jump behind the house. It was Odolwa, the monster who had been used to seal away the Swamp Guardian, but he was not 25 feet tall as he had been when I had fought him, he was as tall as the average man. Sneaking around the side of the house, I saw that he was constantly looking around, like he didn't want to be followed. On top of that, I was quite sure he was supposed to be dead, as I had killed him. This was enough to get me to tail him. I followed him up a slope, then into the weird statue that led to Stone Tower.

_It's a good thing Impa gave me some Shiekah training while I was in Hyrule, _I thought as I manipulated the shadows with magic to hide myself. He pushed a small block in the wall next to the entrance of Stone Tower, and a ladder magically appeared that led up to the entrance Stone Tower Temple. Altering the magic slightly, I now stepped onto the wall on the opposite side of the platform, and the shadows gripped me and held me in place. Halfway up the wall, my magic power began to dwindle. I quickly looked around for something that may have a jar of green potion. _C'mon… there's got to be a clay pot or a ReDead somewhere around here… Ah!_ Inside a small alcove in the wall, I found several clay pots. I reached inside each and found three small jars of potion, which I quickly downed. Then I resumed my shadow-climb, reaching the top just as my magic began to run out again. I waited for Odolwa to go inside the temple, then followed. He had stopped looking around now, obviously believing anyone following would have fallen to their death when he pushed a similar block at the top, which made the ladder disappear, so I released my magic and concentrated on keeping totally silent.

After the long entrance tunnel, Odolwa emerged into the main room of Stone Tower Temple. In front of us was a large statue of an upside-down Majora's Mask (I had figured it was this way because it must have been carved when Stone Tower Temple had been mysteriously inverted long ago). I remained in the entrance tunnel as Odolwa approached the large gap that stood between him and the statue. He bowed to it and said, "Mistress, I have returned." Suddenly, the statue's eyes began glowing a dark purple.

"Returned you have, Odolwa. What news do you have for me?" said a voice. It was the voice of Majora's Mask, and it seemed to be emanating from the statue.

"Your plan worked. The boy has returned to Termina."

"Excellent," said the statue. "What of the Four Giants?"

"I have incapacitated three so far. I am still looking for the Guardian Giant of this land, but I believe I know where it is. After I have incapacitated it, I will prepare them for possession."

"You are a good servant Odolwa. Soon, my revenge will come to be, and you, my most loyal minion, will be rewarded." Upon hearing this, I started to back away, unaware that I had started to hyperventilate. From what I had heard, I guessed that somehow, the spirit of Majora had survived, and was planning to somehow use the Four Giants to get revenge on me. I needed to either warn Clock Town or leave Termina. But then…

"Wait… Odolwa, do you hear that?" I froze.

"What, mistress?"

"I heard heavy breathing. I'm sure of it." I cursed myself as Odolwa whipped around and saw me.

"He is here, mistress!"

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GET HIM!" screamed Majora. Odolwa drew his sword and charged at me, ululating. I quickly drew my own weapon and parried his blow just in time. The force behind it was so much that it forced me back several steps and almost knocked the Gilded Sword out of my hands.

_How can he be this strong? He's only the size of a normal person!_ I thought as I jumped out of the way of an overhead slash. His blade struck the stone floor, which shattered, sending fragments of rock everywhere. I raised my shield, and heard a shower of the shrapnel bounce off. When I lowered it, I saw Odolwa standing right in front of me. I attempted to spring aside again, but before I could, he slammed his shield into the side of my head, sending me flying into the main room. I bounced off the stone floor, then slid to a halt on my back. My head was pounding, the left side of my face was ablaze with pain, and I couldn't stand up. I watched helplessly as Odolwa approached me, grabbed the collar of my tunic, and lifted me off the ground. He raised me above his head and drew his sword arm back. I closed my eyes and waited for my death.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" shouted Majora.

"I-I…" started Odolwa.

"HE'S MINE, YOU DOLT! YOU KNOW THAT FULL WELL!"

"Mistress, I -"

"SHUT UP!" Odolwa closed his mouth. "Drop him!" Majora hissed. Odolwa dropped me, and I collapsed to the floor, my head pointing toward the statue. I watched as the purple glow faded from the eyes of the statue. _What is she doing? Isn't she going to kill me?_ I thought. Then her voice came again, but it sounded small.

"Bring me to him."

I heard Odolwa walk away a little, then his footsteps stopped. A few seconds later, his footsteps started again, getting closer again. Summoning my strength, I managed to turn my head. Odolwa stood over me, holding something in his hand. He knelt down and placed his hand on my chest, and I felt something walk along my sternum, up to my face. I looked down at my chest to see a five-inch tall figure. She wore no clothes, and her skin was purple with what looked like red tattoos, and she was radiating either darkness or black light. Her waist length hair was the same red-tinted ivory color as the spikes on the mask, and parted on the right. She opened her orange eyes and glared at me.

I was scared stiff.

"Do you see what you have reduced me to, Link?" said Majora. "Even this is a tremendous strain on my power. But even like this, I could kill you this instant." I didn't doubt it. "But, I'm not going to. Although my revenge is mostly for you, it is also for the rest of this pitiful land. And after I have destroyed this land and its Clock Tower, I will go to Hyrule, and destroy it and its goddesses for imprisoning me here! So… here's what I'm going to do." She leaned in close to my face and smiled. "I'm going to erase your memory of this little misadventure into my scheming, and it will only return when I am about to destroy Clock Town, and as you die, you will realize that you could've saved everyone if you had just been stronger! What a way to go!" She laughed a long, maniacal laugh. "Oh, and have you been enjoying your dreams?" she asked after she had stopped laughing. "Yes, you were right. I have been taking your final thoughts as you fell asleep and using them to create nightmares about myself! Just a little, how do you say it… psychological warfare. Judging by how petrified you are right now, I'd say that I've been doing good work!" She grinned at me. "So much for Courage, eh, boy?"

Suddenly, a pink fairy smashed into Majora, and although the fairy was three inches shorter, Majora was knocked off my chest onto the ground.

"Get up! Run!" said the fairy as she began to heal me. Then, in the middle of the healing, a hand appeared behind the fairy, and it closed around her.

"I don't think so!" shouted Odolwa. But the fairy had given me enough energy to get away at least. Looking to my left, I saw that Majora was still on the ground next to me, glaring at the fairy. I rolled over on top of her, and her muffled scream came from beneath me. After that, I jumped up and punched Odolwa in the face. He yelled and dropped the fairy, who he had been crushing in his hand. Without the strength to fly, she fell from his hand, but I caught her before whipping out the Ocarina of Time and playing the Song of Soaring one-handed.

"NO!" screamed Majora as the winds swirled around me, taking me away… to the tunnel not 20 feet from where I had been. I swore, remembering only then that the Song of Soaring takes you to the entrance when used inside a temple. I turned and ran as Odolwa charged at me. I looked down at the fairy cupped in my hands, and saw that her light was barely shining; her entire body was clearly visible.

_This is bad,_ I thought. _If I don't get her help soon, she'll die!_ _Damn you, Odolwa!_ I looked behind me to see him gaining on me, as his legs were longer than mine. I turned back around and forced my legs to pump faster. Suddenly, I tripped over something. I gently closed my hands over the fairy, then managed to twist in mid-air to land on my back. Looking back, I saw that Majora had teleported and turned her body to stone in time for me to trip over her. I stood up and bolted as Odolwa continued his chase. Suddenly, the entrance tunnel ended, and I skidded to a halt on the three hovering platforms just outside the entrance. I started to play the Song of Soaring again, but just before the last note, Odolwa's arm closed around my throat. I choked, gasping, trying to breathe as Majora flew up in front of my face.

"Enough Odolwa. Just hold him still," she said, her voice dripping with venom and the most hateful glare I've ever seen before or since on her face. "Oh, how I wish I could kill you now," she said to me. "But even though I want to, it still won't be as torturous as the death I have planned out. And YOU!" she shouted, directing her attention to the fairy in my hands. She flew down and landed next to her."YOU have _REALLY _pissed me off! And, I can actually kill yo- Ack!" she yelped as I closed my other hand around her. I kicked Odolwa in the stomach, breaking his hold, then turned and threw Majora out into the abyss that was Stone Tower. Before Odolwa could grab me again, I played the Song of Soaring without focusing on a destination. Once again, Lady Luck abandoned me and I just ended up at the Owl Statue on the other side of Stone Tower. I turned to see Odolwa jump high into the air, crossing the huge gap in a single bound. I looked down at the fairy in my hands.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, and looked back up to see Odolwa's foot coming straight towards my face.

I woke to the sound of a small voice screaming in pain. Looking around, I saw Majora mercilessly beating the fairy that had tried to save me. I tried to move to help her, but found I couldn't do a thing.

"I wouldn't try too much," said Majora calmly, not stopping her pummeling. "I've encased you in a force-field that conformed to your body. You can't move at all." Majora launched a final spinning kick at the fairy, sending her tiny body flying, then grinned up at me. "Odolwa!" Odolwa appeared and picked her up. He walked up to me, punched me in the face and kicked me in the stomach.

"Payback," he explained. I groaned. My entire body was ablaze with pain, and I had one hell of a migraine from Odolwa's gravity-empowered kick.

"Well, well," said Majora. "You've been a real pain in my ass. And indeed, my entire body seeing as you tried to crush me. But now, I can finally erase your memory. And this time, you can see how helpless you were to save that worthless fairy as well." She pointed at the fairy, and a large red energy beam shot from her towards the fairy. The fairy's scream was cut short as she was vaporized. "Ah, much better. And now, you." She grinned at me from Odolwa's palm. She thrust her hand at me, and I blacked out once again.

Author: All right, first major plot point! I hope the action in this chapter has satisfied your taste. The next chapter contains a less major plot point, but still a plot point; it is mostly filler though. I had a hard time describing how I see Majora; I picture her kind of like Mystique from X-Men. Also, if I see anything in the reviews asking me how Odolwa punched Link through the force-field, I will say: Shut up and read the story.


	4. The Fierce Deity's Warning

EASTERN TERMINA FIELD

"Whew, that trip back from Ikana Canyon sure did take a long time!" I said, walking up to Clock Town's East Gate. "Now that I think about it, I could've just Soared there… Oh well." I went into Clock Town.

"EEEEEEEEEEE! IT"S HIM!" shouted a multitude of feminine voices. I turned to see a stampede of girls… stampeding at me.

"For the love of Nayru, can't a guy walk into town in peace?" I shouted, running for my life. I ran into North Clock Town and passed Jim.

"Hey, Link! The Bombers' Secret Soci -"

"Not now Jim!" I yelled, turning into South Clock Town. I turned left and dropped off the edge of the ramp that led to East Clock Town's scaffolding. I heard them come out from North Clock Town and they started arguing.

"Where'd he go?"

"I think he went this way!"

"You're an idiot! He _clearly_ went this way!"

"Prove it!"

"Girls, he can teleport remember? He could be anywhere!" As they argued, I pulled out the Deku Mask and put it on.

_They won't chase after me like this!_ I thought, taking off the conspicuous hat. I walked out from the corner as a hatless Deku Scrub.

"Hey! There's someone! Maybe they saw where he went!" I heard a multitude of feet coming down the ramp and turned. Several of the girls took a step back when they saw my face, one turned and ran away screaming, and one stood there with a strange expression on her face.

"Can I help you?" I asked, looking up at them.

"Uh, did you see a guy wearing green come by here?" one of them asked.

"Yes, I did. He ran down the scaffolding and into West Clock Town," I lied. Most of the girls ran off towards West Clock Town, except for one, the one with the strange expression on her face. I started to get nervous. "Uh, aren't you going with your friends?" I asked hopefully. Her expression changed to a smile.

"Oh my gosh, you are so cute!" she said. Before I could react, she reached down and picked me up in her arms.

"HEY! Put me down!" I protested. She ignored me and started walking after her friends with me in tow. I continued to protest as she snuggled me up to her chest. _Then again, maybe this won't be so bad…_, I thought as her gentle embrace and the place I was on her chest started getting to me. _Wait a minute, what am I thinking? Getting all comfy in this position is wrong!_ I was disgusted with myself for being so perverted. I turned my head to look up at her. "Please put me down," I pleaded. She looked down at me.

"Well, since you asked nicely…" She held me by my armpits and started to lower me to the ground. Then she stopped. "Wait a minute! Where are your parents?" she asked, bringing me back up in front of her face.

_Ugh, not the parents thing again! Why do people always think I'm an infant in this body?_ I thought, annoyed. "Well, I WAS on my way to meet them when you kidnapped me!" I said.

"Kidnapped? Oh my gosh, is that what you think? I'm sorry, you're just so cute, and I wasn't thinking… Here," she said putting me down. "You go back to your parents now!" She walked away.

"Phew!" I said, taking off the Deku Mask. "I managed to shake them!" I looked at a nearby clock. "Geez it's 5:00 already? I need to get to Deku Palace!"

"Oh, hey, one more thing!" said the girl, who had suddenly reappeared. I froze in the act of taking out the Ocarina. Slowly I looked at her. "Wait a second… Can't you change forms? Oh my gosh, was I holding you in my arms?" She giggled. "Oh, wait till they all hear about this!"

"NO!" I shouted. She looked taken aback. I lowered my voice. "No, please don't tell them! They'll all want to get me even more then!"

"Wait a second, you don't want to hang out with a bunch of girls?"

"I… kind of already have a girlfriend," I lied.

"Oh…" She looked disappointed. "Well, at least you're loyal. Girls like that you know…"

"I'm sorry about lying to you."

"Oh, I don't mind. Now I know why. I can respect a guy wanting his privacy."

"Thanks," I said. I Soared to the Southern Swamp. After arriving at the Owl Statue, I put on the Zora Mask and waded through the water to Deku Palace. I then took off the mask and walked across the bridge to the guards.

"Halt! This is an invitation-only party for the hero in green! I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave!" said one of the guards.

"I _am _invited! _I'm_ the hero in green!" I said. These guards had always kind of annoyed me.

"I highly doubt that," said the other guard.

"How many other guys in green tunics have come by today?"

"Uh…"

"How many of them can do this?" I put on the Deku Mask.

"Uh…"

"So are you going to stand there or are you gonna let me in?" I said, taking off the mask.

"Ah, Mr. Link!" said a voice. I looked beyond the guards to see the Deku Princess. I bowed.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid your guards are being rather stubborn," I said.

"Oh, really?" she said glaring at them. I remembered the first time I had seen the Deku Princess' temper flare up. She had pounced on her father, bounced on him repeatedly and screamed at the guards to let the monkey they were torturing go free. I wondered what she would do to these guys if they didn't let me in.

"Well?" she said, the anger already creeping into her voice.

"You may pass!" said the guards, stepping aside. I stifled a chuckle at the amount of fear in their voices.

And so, I was led by the princess to the throne room, where there was much dancing and partying. I told stories of the many monsters I had had to face during my travels, and the Deku people told me their legends. The festivities lasted late into the night, and at 11:00, I finally said my goodbyes and Soared back to Milk Road. I walked to Romani Ranch, exhausted and thoroughly ready to hit my bed sleeping. But what was happening at the ranch sent adrenaline pumping through me: _They_ were here! And one of them was almost at the barn!

"OH, NO YOU DON'T!" I shouted, drawing my bow and firing an arrow. My aim was true, even from this distance, and the strange being exploded into bright light and smoke.

"Grasshopper! HELP!" came a cry from my left. I turned to see a group of the strange beings advancing on Romani. "I've got no arrows left!" I nocked another arrow, then began focusing magical energy into the tip. It soon glowed with brilliant golden light. I let fly the Light Arrow at one of the beings, and the light energy enveloped all of them, exploding them all. I ran to Romani.

"Wow…" she gasped. "That was incredible!"

"No time!" I said, handing her my quiver. "You pick off any I can't get to!" I drew my sword and ran for the barn, taking up a ready position in front of it. Any strange beings that came close to the barn met my blade, and occasionally, there was an explosion of light and smoke from behind me as Romani got some while I was busy. Together, we waited them out through the night.

_Almost done!_ I thought as the sky began to turn pink. I used Kaitengiri on a group of beings that had gotten a bit too close, and heard several more being vanquished behind me. Then, the sun began to rise over the horizon, and the beings disappeared into a strange red sphere, which flew off into the sky. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was over. I turned as Romani approached me.

"Hey!" I said. "We did…" My voice trailed off as I saw the expression of anger on her face. "Romani?" _SLAP!_ I took a step back, rubbing the red handprint on my face.

"You IDIOT! You're late! You promised you'd be here to help!" she yelled.

"But I _was_ here! I came back!"

"HA! Sure, you came back, but only barely in time! Where were you anyways?"

"I was at the Deku Palace," I said.

"The… Deku Palace?" she asked, her voice dropping and a confused expression crossing her face. "Why the Deku Palace?"

"The Deku Princess had invited me to a celebration in my honor. Honestly, I was afraid of what she would do if I declined…" My voice trailed off again as the memory of the Deku Princess' tantrum passed through my mind once more.

"Ugh… Just try to remember your promises next time!" she said, still annoyed. "Anyway, let's get to bed." We began to walk towards the house.

"Don't you have chores in, like, half an hour?" I asked. "You get up at the butt crack of dawn as is." She laughed at my pun.

"No, I don't. Cremia gives me the morning off when _they_ come."

"Well, see you this afternoon then," I said, turning into the guest room. I walked to the bed and undid my sword belt. After leaning the weapon against the bed, I flopped onto the mattress, and almost immediately fell asleep.

_All was pitch black. Then a faint light started to appear. From it, a strange object began floating towards me. As it neared, I saw it was the Fierce Deity Mask. It began to morph into the form I took when I wear it. The Helix Sword appeared in his hands, and he pointed it towards me, challenging me. I drew my sword and was shocked to find it was the Master Sword. I gripped the wire-wrapped purple hilt and flourished it, then took a ready stance._

_The Fierce Deity lunged at me, bringing the Helix Sword down towards my head. I parried the blow and counterattacked. He rolled under my blade and swung at me. Thinking quickly, I back-flipped out of the way and lunged forward with a stab. He turned the thrust away and swung at me viciously, but I was ready for this. I spun with the new direction of my sword, coming around in time to block his strike. We pushed against each other, trying to push the other over. Somehow, all though he was nearly twice my height, I was able to hold out. I got an idea. I started letting myself get pushed back, and saw a smile play across his lips. Suddenly, I ducked under the Helix Sword, and he stumbled forward. I dropped into a crouch and spun around with one leg out, knocking his legs out from under him. I jumped forward to land on him, but just then, he kipped up. His legs hit me and sent me flying. I landed hard and the Master Sword flew out of my hand. I felt the cold touch of metal on my neck, and saw the Fierce Deity standing over me, the Helix Sword at my throat and a fierce scowl on his face. Then, he laughed and extended his arm down to me. Confused, I took it, and he pulled me up into the air and set me on my feet._

_Then, he spoke to me._

"_You… You've grown stronger," he said. "But… something is strange. There is something wrong with your mind! Your memories have been altered! Think, boy! You must remember! You must…!" The voice faded as he faded into the light, which began to disappear…_

I woke with a start. I had never had a dream like that before. But it hadn't felt like a dream, it was as if the spirit sealed inside the Fierce Deity Mask had actually dueled and spoke to me inside my mind. I got out of bed and walked to the bag I carried my masks around in. I rooted around inside until I pulled out the Fierce Deity Mask. Its hollow eyes stared blankly at me, and its war-painted face had a look of determination.

To be honest, this mask scared me as well, though not as much as Majora's Mask. The first and only time I had worn it when I had battled Majora's Mask in the moon, I had felt its immense power flow through me. But this mask had been different from any other transformation mask I had: the spirit inside had started out as usual, teaching me about its powers. But as I took a step forward, and Majora's Mask floated off of the wall and began to attack me, I felt a surge of shock and anger from the spirit. It then started trying to take control of my mind, to guide my thoughts and actions. It was all I could do to barely maintain control of my body. I had then remembered something that the child wearing Majora's Mask on the field inside the moon had said to me before giving me the mask and transporting me to the battle arena. He had said, "You're the bad guy, all right?" I had figured then that either this spirit was something that was even more evil than Majora, or Majora's nemesis.

I had managed to hold out against the spirit throughout the first two forms of Majora's Mask, but in the final form, a yell of rage had filled my head, and the spirit finally took over. I was forced to the back of my own mind, and watched as the Fierce Deity mercilessly attacked Majora's Wrath. Its power was terrifying; within seconds, Majora's Wrath was on its knees, and Majora's voice was screaming in pain and rage. And when Majora's Wrath had been vanquished, rising toward the ceiling as its body fell apart, the Fierce Deity had kept hacking away with its Helix Sword. I had yelled at it to stop, tried to take back control of my body, and it turned on me, starting to beat me back into the furthest recesses of my mind. I finally broke free of its grasp and regained control of my body long enough to take the mask off before I passed out as the moon disintegrated into a rainbow.

I looked at the mask in my hands. I had never dared put it back on since then, afraid of its overwhelming power and what it might do if it gained control again. But it had just given me a warning, a warning that my memories had been altered. But the dream had faded too soon, I needed more information. I would have to put the mask on to talk to the Fierce Deity again. Taking the mask, I walked out into the center of Romani Ranch. Summoning my resolve, I raised the mask to my face. Once again, an incredible surge of power rushed through my body as my form changed. The Helix Sword materialized in my hands.

_Fierce Deity!_ I called. _I must speak with you!_

"What…? Is that you, boy?" asked the spirit.

_Yes, _I said, bracing myself for any mental assault. _You just spoke to me about my memories being altered. But I don't understand. Who could've altered my memories? No one in this land has magical powers except for Kotake, Koume and myself. I haven't seen Kotake and Koume at all today, so how could my memories have been altered?_

"I do not know. But I can sense that there is a large discrepancy in your memories of this past day." I then felt curiosity from it. "Tell me, boy: why are you so tense?" I hesitated, then told the spirit of my concerns about its power. It laughed. "I am afraid you are completely wrong about me; I have no desire to take over your body now. What happened back then was an overreaction to seeing Majora's Mask revived. I am sorry I scared you." I still didn't completely trust this spirit, but I let my guard down some.

_Do you think you could help me locate the discrepancy?_ I asked.

"Hmm… I may be able to. But it may take quite a while. I will need your full concentration." The sound of a door opening disrupted my conversation with the Fierce Deity, and I turned to see Cremia exiting the house. She stopped when she saw me and her hands went to her mouth.

"Link…?" she gasped. "Link, is that you?"

"Full concentration boy!" snapped the spirit.

_We'll have to do this later,_ I said, and I took off the mask.

"Cremia, I'm sorry if I alarmed you," I said. "I…" I found that I couldn't explain what I had been doing without sounding like a lunatic. "I was training," I lied.

"But… that form! You must've been 10 feet tall!" She eyed the mask in my hand. "What is that thing?"

"It's a mask that increases my power. I use it to train because it helps me to gain more control over my actions. It's nothing to be afraid of," I lied again. I was struggling not to stutter over that strange feeling in my gut as I looked up into her face.

"You know what I think?" she said. "I think you're lying. I know you were up all night with Romani last night, and I don't think that you would come out here to train after spending 24 hours awake. You look exhausted." She was right; I was exhausted. I almost couldn't believe how transparent those lies were now that I thought about them. I sighed.

"It's hard to explain it," I said.

"I don't need an explanation. Just go to bed and catch up on your sleep." I went back into the house, but I didn't go to bed. Instead, I put the mask back on.

_Sorry about that,_ I said, sitting down on the floor (my head was a little too close to the ceiling for comfort in this form).

"Whatever," said the spirit. "Now what were you saying?"

_I wanted you to help me find the discrepancy and see if I can figure out who caused it and what actually happened,_ I replied.

"Well, finding the discrepancy should be easy. Is there any point yesterday where your actions or travel time don't seem correct?" I thought hard. I remembered that I had walked back to Clock Town after my visit to Ikana when I easily could've warped. Also, on foot it only took about two hours to get back from Ikana. I had left the Music Box House around 1:00 and arrived in Clock Town at around 4:45, almost four hours.

_It must have happened in Ikana,_ I told the spirit.

"Hmm… It may be difficult for you to unlock the memories. Carry my mask with you today. No, you won't have to wear it," he added, obviously sensing I was about to object. "You will barely feel my presence. However, I do want you to check with me by putting on the mask on at 5:00. If I don't have anything for you, check with me again in 2 hours."

_Okay,_ I said. _But promise me that whatever you find, you will not take control of my body unless it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. If you do have to, you need to make sure that there are no people around. You don't seem like a bad guy, but you certainly have no regard for the safety of innocents._

"Agreed," he sighed. And with that, I took off the mask, got into my bed, and put the mask under my pillow. As I drifted into sleep, I felt the light touch of the spirit in my mind.

Author: Not much to say here. Just a note to say that when the Fierce Diety speaks, it happens inside Link's mind, he doesn't speak out loud. I just didn't want constant lines of itallics like you get in Eragon. As always, R&R. I am also looking for a beta reader to look over Chapter 6 (yes, not Chapter 5. Chapter 6.), because I think it may get rather confusing. PM me if you are interested.


	5. The Carnival of Time

ROMANI RANCH

"Grasshopper!" said Romani. I groaned and rolled over. "GRASSHOPPER!" she shouted, shaking me.

"Okay, okay! I'm up!" I looked out the window to see a blue sky. "Whoa, what time is it?"

"It's 2:00, silly! Remember, we went to bed at 6 AM?"

"Oh, yeah… right." I looked back at Romani. She was standing over me with a big grin on her face. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," she giggled. "Lunch is on the table. Let's go eat." She pulled me to my feet. "Silly, you slept in your clothes!"

"Oh well," I said. She led me to the table and pushed a bowl of oatmeal in front of me.

"My sister thought that you might want breakfast for lunch. She does it for me sometimes too. She calls it 'brunch.'" Romani explained.

"Hey, when you're an adventurer, any kind of food is good for any kind of meal," I said, remembering nights when I couldn't find anything to eat, and had to go to sleep with an empty stomach as I dug in.

_Should I ask her if she wants me to come to the Carnival with me tonight?_ I thought. That strange feeling was very strong now. I wondered what it was and why it was making me this nervous.

_What if she already has a boyfriend or something?_ I asked myself.

_Oh, relax. She'd probably just call me cute,_ said my confident part. I pulled myself together to ask her.

"YouwancometoCarnivalwime?" I said, the words tumbling over each other. _IDIOT!_ I thought, mentally slapping myself.

"Uh, come again?" I took a deep breath.

"Would you like to come to the Carnival with me?" I said, trying to speak clearly without making it look like I was doing so. Elation spread over her face.

"Yeah… yeah, I would," she said. There was silence as we ate our oatmeal.

"Well at least we'll be able to stay up for it, since we woke up so late," I said, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Yeah. I've never been able to see the fireworks show…"

"Yeah, it's amazing." I remembered my first trip to Termina's Bomb Shop, the owner had told me about a fireworks display on the night of the Carnival. At the time, I had had no idea what he was talking about. Then, as I waited for the Clock Tower to strike midnight, I had heard booms and looked up in the sky to see multicolored sparks flying through the air. It was an amazing sight, but I hadn't been able to fully appreciate any one time that I saw it because I always had to either go up to the Clock Tower or play the Song of Time. "I'll make sure to find a good place to see it," I promised.

"Aw, aren't you two cute!" said a voice from the stairs. I turned to see Cremia grinning down at us, and I turned red.

"Uh, Cremia, I was just, uh…"

"It's fine, Link," she said, coming down the last of the stairs. "You two make sure to have fun tonight!" I looked at Romani and saw that her face was red too. I almost laughed at the sight of her red face framed by her equally red hair.

"What are you smirking about, Grasshopper?" she asked. Unable to hold it in any longer, I burst out laughing.

"It's… you look hilarious right now!" I laughed. She looked at her reflection in her spoon, and her face turned even redder.

"Yeah, well…" she said, apparently looking for something to laugh at about me. She suddenly reached over and pulled my hat down over my face. "You look hilarious too!" she said, now laughing herself. I pulled my hat back up, still laughing myself. Cremia was still watching us with an amused expression on her face.

"Oh, yeah. You two lovebirds definitely make a cute couple!" she said, walking to the door.

"Wha- Hey!" I sputtered. She laughed as she went out the door. I looked back at Romani with a nervous laugh. She returned an equally nervous smile. We looked at each other and I realized that Cremia was right: The strange feeling that I got in my gut when I looked at her… it was love. Now that I knew what it was, it felt less obtrusive; I no longer had to force myself not to stutter.

We spent most of the day walking around the ranch, making each other laugh and just sitting in silence, simply enjoying each other's company. What remained of the day passed quickly; all I really remember is Romani's smile and Cremia's jokes. The hours just blurred together into a mesh of happiness and humorous embarrassment. When 9:00 came, I saddled Epona and mounted her. Romani got up behind me and wrapped her arms around me, making me blush yet again. If I had a rupee for every time that had happened that day, I'd be rich. Together, we rode off towards Clock Town.

It was 10:30 when we arrived at the Southern Gate, and I started looking around for a place to watch the fireworks as I had promised. I considered the huge log just outside the South Gate, but then realized that Romani couldn't get up there as easily as I could. Then, I thought of the entrance to Snowhead Trail, but after riding to the North Gate, I saw that the runoff from the mountain had made the ground there muddy. I continued past and struck gold: the ancient pillars that marked the road to Ikana. I remembered that several of them were easily climbable, and they were high enough that our view of the sky would not be obstructed by the walls or buildings of Clock Town.

I rode up to the closest pillar on the right (if you were leaving from the East Gate) and dismounted. After helping Romani down from the saddle ("Oh, you!" she giggled, giving me a playful push), we climbed up to the top of the pillar. There was plenty of room there for us to stretch out on our backs. We looked up at the stars as we waited for the festival to begin. Within 10 minutes, I saw a small speck of light shooting up into the air.

"Look," I said, sitting up and pointing. She sat up and looked, just in time to see the speck explode into blue sparks. She gasped in amazement and hugged me as a cheer erupted from inside the walls and echoed across the field. I put my arm around her and smiled as we looked up at the light show. When it was over, we continued looking up, seeing the imprint of the bright lights on our retinas. After a while, I looked back at her. "Hey," I said, giving her a little nudge. She brought her gaze down to me. "Let's go have some fun!"

"Yeah!" she said, nodding. She climbed down, and I followed after her. I turned around after dropping to the ground to see her looking quizzically at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Why did you have to bring that stuff?" she said, walking over to me and tugging on my sword belt.

"Well, it's kind of my trademark. Besides," I added, looking down into her dark blue eyes, "there are bound to be muggers here what with all the people, and beautiful girls like you are easy targets." I blushed at my own boldness, just as she blushed at the compliment.

"Silly boy," she muttered. Then, she took my hand. "Let's go! We're missing out!" she said loudly, as she dragged me off towards Clock Town. We walked up to the East Gate, and stopped. I pulled out the mask Mayor Dotour had given me as she reached into the satchel she had brought and took out a silver mask with intricate designs in gold paint. The first night was, after all, the Festival of Masks. After putting on the masks, we walked into town.

I was amazed. I hadn't stayed for the Carnival after saving Termina, and so I wasn't expecting Clock Town to look as colorful as an exotic garden. There were people everywhere; people running stalls and games, people shopping/playing at said stalls and games, people who were walking around, people who were standing still, people with their masks off as they were kissing…

_Oh, goddesses, I hope she doesn't want to do that yet!_ I thought, quickly looking away in disgust as she put her tongue in his mouth.

"Hey," said Romani. I jumped and looked at her. "Let's go!" I smiled and nodded. She led me off towards a large stall. Looking at it I saw the merchant was selling knives. I thought about how clumsy it was trying to do certain things (skinning came to mind first) with a longsword and realized I should probably take advantage. I pulled away from Romani and came back with an eight-inch dagger hanging on my belt.

"Now what's that for?" she asked, looking at me quizzically.

"Convenience," I replied. "Plus, it makes me look a little cooler, don't you think?" I said, striking a pose. She laughed and dragged me away towards a game stand.

"Hey there, you two! Break the balloons and win a prize!" shouted the man running the game over the noise of the crowd. Romani dragged me to the stand. "20 rupees, please," he said. I put a red rupee on the counter, and he snatched it up greedily and replaced it with two slingshots. "You can play as a team or take turns," he explained. Romani looked at me.

"I'll go first," I said. I took my five pellets and popped a blue balloon with each one.

"Impressive," Romani said in a deep, mock-serious voice. "Most impressive." I chuckled while she picked up her slingshot and took her five pellets from the nearby basket. She lined up and slung her shot. A red balloon exploded to pieces. 4 of her shots landed perfectly, but on her fifth, a man bumped into her, and she missed. "Hey!" she protested. Quickly, I turned to keep the man in sight.

"Romani, you're not… missing anything are you?" I asked. Realizing what I was implying, she checked her satchel and laughed.

"Well, he did take my money pouch, but I only had 5 rupees in it anyways," she said. Just then a frustrated shout permeated through the noise. I ignored it.

"Are you saying that you expected me to pay for everything?" I asked, grinning. She giggled and nodded her head. "Oh, what will I do with you?" I sighed, rubbing my head. Suddenly, a high-pitched scream pierced everything. All the noise stopped, and I whipped around and drew my sword, expecting either a monster attack or a mugging. Instead, a small group of my half-crazed fans stood there gaping at me. I swore under my breath as I sheathed my sword. "This will _not_ end well…"

But then, all but one of the girls simply shrugged and walked away, muttering about how stupid life is. The one that remained looked livid. I recognized her as one that was always at the head of the pack. She looked like she was in the money, wearing a velvet dress lined with fur and lace.

_Great, she's probably used to getting whatever she wants,_ I thought, rolling my eyes.

"Wha… what is SHE doing with him?" the rich girl shrieked, pointing a manicured finger at Romani.

"She's… uh," I said, trying to find a way to let her off easy. But Romani stepped in front of me.

"I'm his girlfriend," she said. "Got a problem?"

"YES!" the rich girl screamed. "He's _supposed_ to be with _me!_"

"So, I don't get a say in this?" I asked, moving to stand next to Romani. The townspeople were watching all this with bemused expressions. The rich girl fluttered her eyelashes at me.

"How long have you been practicing that?" asked Romani. The rich girl gave her a seething look before looking back at me.

"Come over here, Hero Boy," she said. "My family can give you anything you want! Price is no object!" Romani looked at me nervously. I decided to play a bit with her, although I suspected I might regret that after my charade was over.

"Anything… I want?" I said slowly, bringing a look of deep thought over my face. An audible gasp ran through the crowd. Would I really forsake the girl I started the night with for this snob?

"Well… within reason," she said, giggling a little bit. She fluttered her eyelashes at me again, and I struggled not to gag. Romani was gaping at me in horror. I tried to keep the smile from my face. I walked towards the rich girl.

"Hmm… anything I want…" I said ponderously. Then, "Ah! I've got it! You can give me some privacy with my girlfriend!" I turned. "Let's go, Romani." Romani looked breathless as I took her by the arm and led her away.

"BUT SHE'S A FARM GIRL, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" the rich girl shrieked.

"So?" I said turning. "She works on a ranch, dealing with animal waste and milking cows. I've spent half my life sleeping in trees, ditches, and more often than not, mud." She recoiled at that. "I don't care about her lifestyle and she doesn't care about mine. Also," I added, "running after somebody like a maniac isn't very appealing. Might wanna rethink that part." I had tried not to be mean, but it slipped out anyways. But when I think back, she really had to learn that things won't always go her way. I walked into North Clock Town with Romani, and suddenly realized I hadn't been checking in with the Fierce Deity.

"Hey, Romani, can you excuse me for a few minutes?" I asked.

"Oh my gosh, a slide! OHMYGOSH!" she yelled, running off towards the slide.

"O…kay then," I said. I ran into the Fairy Fountain and slapped on the Fierce Deity Mask. Immediately I was mentally assaulted.

"FOOL!" he shouted.

_Geez, I'm sorry!_ I said. _I was… otherwise distracted._

"There is no time for the girl! This town will soon be destroyed!"

_What? How?_ I asked incredulously.

"The magic that has masked your memories is one I have only ever encountered once. It is Majora's magic!"

_Majora?_ This was bad. This was very bad. _Ugh, I just started to relax too!_ Just then, the Great Fairy rose from the fountain, an expression of pure rage on her face.

"Evil! Leave this place!" she shouted. I quickly took off the mask. Her expression softened. "Oh, kind young one, forgive me. I mistook you for a being of darkness."

With that, she disappeared. _So he is evil,_ I thought. _But he doesn't seem to think he is…_ I thought as I ran back outside.

"ROMANI!" I shouted. She came down the slide and I ran to her. "Romani, we need to evacuate the town. Something is coming!" I heard a strange, yet familiar sound in the distance. "We need to get everyone out! NOW!"

"Grasshopper, what are you-"

"No time! We need to warn everyone!" I took off the Hylian Mask and ran through town, shouting that it needed to be evacuated. The people laughed at my "practical joke." Every few minutes, that strange noise came, and each time, I tried to figure out where I had heard it before. I climbed up onto the ledge that led to the top of the Clock Tower in South Clock Town and yelled my message out into the crowd. Once again, they all laughed. Romani climbed up with me.

"Nobody's listening!" she said. The sound came again, and this time, several people stopped what they were doing. The memory of Odolwa suddenly came back to me. I clutched my head. "Grasshopper?"

"I'm… fine. Come with me," I said. I led her up the stairs to the top of the Clock Tower. I ran over to the side and looked out to the east as the memory of shadow-climbing Stone Tower came back. I clutched my head again as I absorbed the memory. A huge shape moved in the distance. I looked out again to see the silhouette of the Eastern Guardian slowly walking towards Clock Town. The strange sound I had been hearing was the Gaurdian's footsteps! The duel with Odolwa flashed through my head. I looked around and saw the other Guardians walking towards town as well. Perhaps they had sensed the danger.

"What are those things?" Romani asked. "They look like-"

"Heads with legs and arms, yeah," I said. My attempt to escape returned to me. "They are the Four Guardian Giants of this land." We watched them come a little while longer. "Come," I said, running back down the Clock Tower. The memory of Majora killing the fairy and causing my amnesia returned but I still felt something was missing. We made it outside the South Gate as the Guardians were taking the last few steps toward town.

"Whoa… they're huge!" Romani breathed.

"Yeah…" I said. Just then, Tatl flew right in front of me. "Wha… oh! Hey, Tatl! Can you translate for me?" The Guardians spoke in melodious moans and grunts, and Tatl was able to understand them.

"Link, there's something wrong with the Guardians!" Tatl said. "I'm sensing something very evil!" As she said that, the memory of Majora's plan fell into place. I looked up and saw the Southern Giant staring down at us with orange eyes.

Author: R&R Folks. As I said before, I'm looking for a beta reader (figured I'd post this again since I'm uploading these first 5 chapters on the same day) for chapter 6, Which I hope will be quite epic. There's still a lot to go, and I'm only banging out a few paragraphs a day now that the rough draft of Chapter 6 is finished. I hope you're all enjoying this, despite the fact that I FAIL at romance. Chapter 6 will be up as soon as it is thoroughly edited. That's all for now!


	6. The Battle

SOUTHERN TERMINA FIELD

"No… No, it can't be! RUN!" I yelled as the Guardian took another step, which would land right on us. How had Majora possessed the Guardians? More importantly, how was I supposed to stop them? I wasn't even ankle high to them! The Guardian's foot came down right behind us, and the air rushing out from underneath it knocked Romani and I over and made Tatl lose her balance in the air and fall to the ground. "Are you two okay?" I asked, standing up.

"I'm good," said Romani. "Just a little shaken."

"Tatl?" I asked, looking down at the cream colored light on the ground.

"I… I think my left wing is broken," she said. "I can't fly."

"Grasshopper, we have, um, BIGGER problems!" I turned and looked up. The Guardian was reaching down towards us, and the hand was too close for us to run away. I did the only thing I could; in one swift motion, I drew my sword and slashed at the Guardian's hand. He moaned and pulled back.

"Tatl, do you want me to carry you?" I asked. I knew fairies didn't like it if you picked them up without their consent.

"Yeah, I don't think I could keep up with you otherwise," she said. I held my hand on the ground and felt her step on. "Link, could you put me in your hat? I feel safer in there." I remembered how Navi and Tatl had always disappeared inside my hat when we were in dangerous places, and gently lifted her up to my head as Romani and I started running.

"Hey, where's Tael?" I asked.

"We got separated in the crowd."

"Ah," I said as we hid inside the log. _Okay, think_, I told myself. _How am I going to get Majora out of the Guardians? If I had the Master Sword, I could use its power to banish her from them, but that's back in Hyrule. What about… Light Arrows!_ I reached for my bow, but it wasn't there. _Damnation! It's back at the ranch!_ Only one chance remained.

"Romani," I said, "do you have your bow with you?"

"Um… yeah," she said digging around in her satchel. She pulled out her shortbow and a few arrows. "For the same reason you brought your sword," she said sheepishly, handing me the bow.

_Goddesses, please let this work!_ I prayed, charging a light arrow. I stepped out from the cover of the log and sighted up at the Southern Guardian. "HEY, MAJORA!" I yelled. The Guardian turned at the sound of my voice and I let the arrow fly, striking him right between the eyes. The explosion of golden light was unusually large and bright. There was a scream of pain that was certainly not the Guardian's, and he fell to the ground (luckily, he fell on his side and didn't crush anything). Something purple left his head, and shrieked away into the night. I let out my breath and turned to Romani.

"I need you to take Epona and go get my bow from the ranch," I said.

"What's wrong with my bow?" she asked, a look of indignation crossing her.

"It's a shortbow. He was half crouching and that arrow barely made it. I need my longbow if I'm going to- Ack!" Tatl had pulled my hair. I pulled her out from under my hat. "Do you need something?"

"Two things," she said. "First of all, getting your bow won't do you much good. I don't think you realize that you put half your magic reserves into that light arrow, and it only barely worked in forcing Majora out of the Guardian's body." I hastily checked my magic power and saw she was right. "Secondly, THEY'RE ATTACKING THE TOWN!" I looked at Clock Town and saw the Northern Guardian reaching down into the town and the Western Guardian stepping on something inside the walls. The Eastern Guardian was holding his hands out towards the other two in the same way that Majora had held her hand out to me to erase my memory.

_Could it be that Majora housed herself inside the Eastern Guardian and simply has the others under some kind of mind control?_ Whatever it was, I had to stop them quickly, or Clock Town would be no more. Hoping my hunch was right, I ran off towards the Eastern Guardian. As I approached I noticed his eyes were glowing and there was an aura of black light around him; two things the other three hadn't had. I had hoped that my approach would go unnoticed, but Epona whinnied upon seeing me. The loud call made the possessed Guardian look down at me.

"Ugh. Damn kid, figuring it out so fast," said Majora's voice. She raised the Guardian's foot to flatten me, and once again, I slashed at the appendage with the Gilded Sword as it came close. The Guardian's voice moaned and drew back again. Then a transparent black wall formed in front of him. I ran toward it and tried to cut through, but I got shocked by dark magical energy. I cried out and dropped my sword.

"Ha!" shouted Majora's voice. "Now you'll have to get past the other two in order to get to me! I'd better get to work!" She pointed the Guardian's hand at the Clock Tower and started blasting it with dark energy. Each time it hit, a golden force-field appeared around it, and the bolts dissipated against it.

"Damn you," I muttered and started running towards the Southern Gate. But as soon as I entered town, the Western Guardian's fist slammed into the ground right in front of me, shattering the tiled ground. I ducked behind my shield, and my arm shuddered when a large piece of tile slammed into the metal. All my masks and weapons were back at the ranch; there was no chance to get them. The only things I had with me were my sword, shield, and the Fierce Deity Mask…

_I have no choice,_ I thought. I pulled it out and pressed it to my face. The usual surge of energy flowed through me. I had gotten used to the pain of it over the years, but this time, the Fierce Deity's energy had so much force, I yelled as the transformation took place, my adolescent voice morphing into the Fierce Deity's seamlessly. The Helix Sword materialized in my hands, and the Fierce Deity's presence in my mind was powerful. He was angry, as angry as he was the first time I had fought Majora. _Okay,_ I thought. _Maybe the magic disks will do something without damaging them._ I reached into my magic reserves and swung the Helix Sword at the Guardian's fist, which for some reason was still on the ground. A blue-white disc of light flew from the blade and rocketed at the huge hand in front of me. It entered the brown skin without drawing blood, and the hand glowed the same blue-white color as the disk. The Guardian moaned and Majora screamed again. I jumped onto one of the fingers as the Guardian lifted its hand back up. I rode it up into the sky, and it noticed me. Lucky for me, he held his arm out straight and went to clap his hands together. I quickly ran down the arm, firing magical disks at the head as I went. The Western Giant moaned and fell as Majora screamed more, and I jumped off as the ground approached, breaking my fall with a roll.

"Well done," commented the spirit, his anger abating slightly. I took the comment silently and ran around to the Northern Giant. I knew Majora wouldn't fall for the same trick again, so I would have to actually climb up unless I could fool her into pick making the giant pick me up again. I looked up and rolled aside to avoid the foot coming from the sky. It slammed into the ground to my right, and I leaped on top of it. I grabbed the ankle and started climbing up the leg looking up cautiously for any sign of an attack. The Guardian bent, and I saw a hand coming to slap me.

_Fool,_ I thought grinning. I dropped from the ankle and rolled backward across the foot, and the hand slammed into the leg in front of me. I grabbed onto the fingers again.

"No! _You_ are the fool boy! Run!" shouted the Fierce Deity. I obeyed immediately, dropping and rolling backwards again as the Guardian's other hand slapped over the first hand. I shrugged and grabbed a finger of that hand instead. This time I was lifted up, and I launched evasive action immediately as the fingers maneuvered to try to close me in a fist. I got onto the back of the hand and ran up the forearm. I dove into a roll to avoid a slap, and started firing disks up at the possessed Guardian's face. This proved to be a little more difficult than last time; the disks were launched at the apex of the swing, so I had to angle my torso upward in order to hit my mark. Even so, I was missing, the disks passing harmlessly underneath the head. I took the mask off and whipped out Romani's bow. I clung to the arm as the Guardian tried to shake me off. I rolled out of the way of another slap, landing in a crouch, and charged a Light Arrow, hoping my remaining magic power was enough to knock Majora out of the Guardian. I sighted down the shaft and let it fly. It hit the Guardian right between the eyes like the Southern Guardian and I allowed myself a sigh of relief as Majora screamed again. The Guardian fell to the ground. The ground shook slightly beneath me as I rolled out of my fall from the Guardian's arm. As I ran past the North Gate, someone ran out.

"HEY! KID!" I turned as I ran to see the Curiosity Shop owner, a long and bloody gash on the side of his balding head, carrying a bottle of Blue Potion. "This is from my special stash, I kid you not!" He launched the bottle into the air, and I jumped and grabbed it. I uncorked it and gulped it down. My fatigue faded instantly, and I felt my magic power regenerating. Then something else happened; I felt a new surge of energy. This potion was indeed special; it was giving me more energy instead of simply healing my wounds. I charged at the Eastern Giant with a newfound strength.

Majora was still blasting the Clock Tower. I looked up at it and saw that the formerly bright force field was now dim and it looked like it was cracking. Majora had the Guardian's face in a look of intense anger; teeth bared and eyebrows furrowed. The unnatural orange eyes glowed fiercely. The Guardian turned and looked down at me.

"No… NO! I must have my revenge! You have opposed me for the last time!" Majora's voice seethed with hate and unrestrained anger. "You will DIE! And I will do it myself!" The orange glow left the Guardian's eyes, and they returned to their normal black. Then they closed, and the Guardian fell over backwards. A purple mist appeared in front of me, condensing into the human-sized form of Majora. Her gaze chilled my blood. Hate was rolling off of her in waves, I could almost feel it. "You," she hissed. "You and you're damned goddesses. They imprisoned me here and you stopped my attempt at revenge on this prison world! Do you know why this land is called Termina, boy?" I shook my head, expecting an attack at any moment. "It is destined to meet a cruel and bloody end; terminated if you will. No one knows what it is to be, but I am sure that I will be the end of this world! And then I will destroy your Hyrule and its goddesses! I will show those golden brats what happens when you imprison a Demon Queen!" She pointed at me. "And I will start with you!"

I dove aside as a massive beam of crackling red energy shot right through where I was a second ago. Looking back, I saw that there was a wide line of blackened grass, several patches still burning. I shivered and looked back at Majora. She was charging at me, and before I could react, her fist met my face in a devastating jab. I was launched off my feet, flying 20 feet across Termina Field, and landing hard on my back. My breath left me in a harsh exhale, and I struggled to breathe; my chest felt like it was collapsing from the lack of air in it. I had had the wind knocked out of me before, but never like this. This time, it was as though there was absolutely nothing in my lungs, like they were collapsing, suffocating me...

Suddenly, a huge rush of air came down my throat. My chest expanded and the frenzied sound of my gasping echoed off the mountainside to my left. Majora was slowly walking towards me, malice glinting in her eyes and clearly displayed on her face. A voice rang inside my head, sounding distant and faint.

"Link! Put on my mask! You need my strength!" It was the voice of the Fierce Deity. I stood up slowly.

"Link, what happened?" Tatl asked from inside my hat. "Are you okay?" I reached up and took Tatl out from under the conical piece of fabric, setting her on the ground.

"Run," I said, and stood up as I drew my sword.

"FOOL!" shouted the Fierce Deity as I charged at Majora, a fierce battle cry erupting from me. Majora looked shocked at my brash action. She recovered quickly and settled into a ready stance. She crossed her arms in front of her, and darkness began gathering at her fingertips. Unfazed, I kept moving, preparing to cleave the demon in two. She snapped her arms apart and whips appeared in each of her hands. She swung one over her head and lashed out at me. Reacting quickly, I barrel rolled to the right. The whip cracked over my head, and she pulled it back. I jumped over her next flay without breaking my stride and finally swung my sword at her in an overhead slice. I didn't expect to make any contact, and I didn't. Majora disappeared as the blade started to approach. I immediately fell to the ground as a whip cracked over my head, and rolled to the left as she sent the other one at my leg, attempting to wrap it around and drag me in. I kipped up, landing in a crouch behind my shield as another whip cracked at me.

_I can't get close!_ I thought.

"Put my mask on!" the Fierce Deity said forcefully. "You won't ever get close without my power! PUT MY MASK ON!" I sliced just as she sent a whip at me and felt the Gilded Sword cut through it. The severed part of the whip fell to the ground and vanished in purple smoke as Majora hissed in pain. I looked at the other end of the whip and saw that it seemed to be coming out of her arm instead of just being a length of barbed material held in her hand. "BOY!" I winced at the volume and force of the Fierce Deity's voice.

_Fine. But you can't take me over,_ I said as I whipped out the mask. Majora's orange eyes widened in shock as I raised the mask to my face.

"NO!" she screamed, her whips retracting into her arms as she leaped at me. I pivoted on one foot as the transformation took place, lashing out in a kick as she reached me. This was my last free action for quite a while; as soon as my foot met her face and sent her flying, the Fierce Deity seized my body from me and started attacking Majora with no intention of relenting for even a second. When he started firing magical disks, Majora began dodging them, and those that didn't hit their mark flew off into the distance… right towards a crowd of people who were evacuating.

_STOP! You'll hurt them!_ I shouted, but the Fierce Deity was blinded by hate and rage. He reached into my magic reserves and began focusing magic in the Helix Sword. I thought he was going to use Kaitengiri, but the amount of power he sent coursing through the entwined blades was far too much to be my own spinning slash. The twin blades of the sword began to writhe, and everything within fifteen feet of him darkened, as if he was sucking the light from the world. The writhing blades began shooting off large bolts of magical lightning. Majora's eyes widened again.

"No… No, not here, you wouldn't-" she was cut short by a bloodthirsty shout that was not my own, and yet came from my throat.

"ONIGIRI!" the Fierce Deity roared, leaping high into the air and dropping back towards the ground at a frightening speed directly at Majora, who had almost no time to react. Almost. At the last millisecond, she vanished, and the supercharged Helix Sword sliced diagonally through the air where she had been, hitting the sidewalk that ran around the town. The magic exploded from the blades with a force I still can't quite describe. The sidewalk shattered ten feet on either side, and a gigantic hole was blasted in Clock Town's wall. A shockwave shot out across the land, flattening the grass and rebounding off the mountainside. The evacuees were knocked off their feet and flew several yards before crashing to the ground again. I stopped struggling for a moment as I watched the aftermath in fearful awe. Then, I remembered the name of the technique, "Onigiri."

_That translates directly to Demon Slash in Ancient Hylian,_ I realized. _So he _is_ a demon…_ Just then, there was clapping from behind me. The Fierce Deity turned, and we saw Majora standing there, applauding the Fierce Deity.

"Well done, old friend," she said. "You've done quite a bit of damage there. I'm proud."

"You are no friend of mine, Majora!" he shouted, and charged again. I restarted my struggling with new vigor, not wanting him to use any more techniques that destructive. He swung at Majora, who jumped aside, a malicious grin spreading across her face.

"Well clearly I am not anymore. But we used to be quite close didn't we?" Her smile became, if possible, even more evil. I felt the spirit's anger flare higher, and I realized what was happening. Majora was making the Fierce Deity angry, letting his attacks become useless flailings of rage as she slowly tired him out. Then she would kill us.

_Can you not see her trickery?_ I asked. _She is _making _you angry! You have to give me back control or we will die!_

"You do not have the strength to do what must be done! You would stop to save every stupid soul that may get hurt in your battle! People die, boy, and if they die because they get in the way of you trying to save them, then it is their fault! Stop struggling and let me fight!"

Majora seemed to understand what was happening. "That kid's fighting you isn't he?" she asked. "It is so annoying. That Stalkid kept trying to make me stop as well. I eventually just disposed of him, he was such a hindrance. Perhaps you should do the same." The Fierce Deity stopped his attack.

"Perhaps," he said quietly. "But I can't. I am still sealed in the mask and cannot regain my physical form as you have."

"A shame, that. Without your true power," she dropped into a crouch, and the Fierce Deity tensed, "you'll never defeat me!" She leaped at him and the Fierce Deity rolled out of the way, swinging the Helix Sword around behind him. The blades dragged through her flesh, and she grunted in pain. The spirit turned to see her land on her hands and pivot, landing in a crouch facing him. He rushed over before she could stand and kicked her into the town wall. She hit it with her feet a yard from the ground and slid to the sidewalk. He walked up and stood over her. He raised the Helix Sword… but didn't bring it down. Then, I caught scraps of the spirit's memories. He sat with Majora under a full moon. He fought fiercely through a crowd of frightening beings with Majora at his side. He and Majora, covered in their enemies' blood, kissing…

I withdrew from his memories, but he did not. I took the opportunity to lunge forward and wrest control of my body from him.

_Who was it you were saying was weak?_ I asked him angrily. I swung the Helix Sword at Majora's neck, but she vanished just before her throat met steel. I whipped around and a hand closed around my throat. I swung the Helix Sword, but her other hand grabbed my wrist and twisted it until I dropped the Helix Sword. In desperation, I reached up to my face and pulled off the Fierce Deity Mask. After the transformation, the constricting pressure around my throat was gone, and I looked up to see Majora's hands far above my head, where my throat had been as the Fierce Deity. Majora looked down at me. I continued to gasp for breath as she spoke.

"Pitiful boy. You think you can control him? He is more powerful than you know." Then she laughed. "But I am more powerful than him! There is no way you can stop me, even with his power." I knew she was right. There was nothing I could do. She kept ranting on about power, and I remembered the battle with Ganondorf. I stood up, and Majora stared at me. "You still want to fight?"

"I have triumphed over power before. I can do it again." Majora burst into raucous laughter.

"If you're talking about that fool who holds the Triforce of Power, then you should know that he is nothing compared to me. I am a Demon Queen, boy. My power is untamed unlike your stupid Triforce. I-" I interrupted her by running the Gilded Sword through her abdomen. She hissed in pain and a fire burned in her orange eyes. But I did not care. I was not afraid. I pulled the sword out and swung at her. She ducked under the blade and countered with a sweeping kick. I jumped over her leg and slashed at her again. She tried to dodge but I was faster and she ended up with a long gash down her arm. She fired a blast of dark magic at me, and I raised my shield, letting it dissipate against the metal. I lowered my shield to see her foot swinging towards my face, and I could not duck in time. The kick smashed into my right cheek and I was knocked off my feet, flying ten feet to the left.

_Ow,_ I thought as I kipped up. Majora cracked her whip at me, and this time it hit. I cried out and dropped my Hylian Shield as the weapon cut a bloody line in my chest, and Majora laughed. I fell to my knees as white-hot pain spread through my body. Majora slowly walked up to me, her teeth bared in a fierce grin.

"NO!" The shout made me look around to see Romani running across the field towards us. "LINK!"

_Romani…_ I looked back at Majora and saw her hand reaching for me. It closed around the collar of my tunic and she lifted me into the air. The Gilded Sword fell from my weakening grasp and plunged into the soft ground. _No… This can't be it! This can't be how I die! NO!_ Suddenly, a fist smashed into Majora's face. She dropped me, and I crumpled to the ground. I looked up to see Romani standing there, her red hair flowing with the breath of the wind and a look of anger on her face.

"Stay away from him, fiend," she said. Majora laughed.

"You humans are so amusing. You would confront me, a being of unspeakable power, to save this…" She gestured at me. "Fool?" Romani answered by trying to punch Majora again.

"Romani… no…" I croaked. But she didn't hear me. She continued to assault Majora, who was laughing as she easily dodged the onslaught.

"You are a fool," said the Fierce Deity.

_You are as well,_ I retorted, still looking up at the battle I didn't want to happen.

"Romani," I said, louder this time. "Stop, you'll get yourself killed!"

"Shut up," she said. "I'm going to save you, and you're gonna _like it!_" At that moment, a purple fist slammed into her stomach, and she was launched away.

"Romani!" I cried. I staggered to my feet, my body still searing with pain. I stumbled over to her, and dropped heavily to my knees at her side. A small red line led from the side of her mouth to the ground. The sight of her blood angered me. "You… BITCH!" I shouted, rounding on Majora. I charged at her, ripping the Gilded Sword from the ground as I passed and holding it at my side with both hands. Another smile played over her face and she simply stood there. I raised the Gilded Sword over my head as I approached. Her smile widened and she prepared to catch my blade. But now I was smiling. Instead of bringing it down into her waiting hands, I swung it around and down, coming in horizontal instead. Her shock that I could hit her with such a simple feint was clearly displayed as the gold-infused steel cut through her abdomen. I spun with the swing and used the momentum to give more power to a thrust that landed neatly on her chest. She screamed as I pulled the now bloody sword out of her and performed a vertical Kaitengiri. She staggered back a bit and fell to her knees, reversing the positions that were held only seconds ago. I advanced on her as she spat blood out of her mouth. She looked up at me.

"You…" she hissed. "You will pay!" I kicked her, and she fell over onto her back.

"Return to the void, demon," I said, and with that, I thrust the Gilded Sword down towards her heart. She smirked and vanished in a purple mist just before the blade passed through her breast. I pulled the sword from the ground and whipped around, looking around wildly. "WHERE ARE YOU, MAJORA!" I roared. Her laughter echoed across the field.

"You win this round, boy," her disembodied voice said. "Consider yourself lucky."

"COWARD! COME BACK AND FIGHT! FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED!" A sound came from behind me and I pulled the knife from my belt and threw it towards the sound in one smooth motion. The steel blade went all the way through a vole that had been burrowing away from me. I cursed and retrieved the knife. I pulled a cloth from my pocket and wiped the knife and the Gilded Sword before sheathing them. I walked back to Romani, picking up my Hylian Shield along the way and slinging it over my back.


	7. Majora

NORTHEASTERN TERMINA FIELD

She looked back at him, shouting into the darkness. He called her a coward and told her to come back and fight. She hated him. She hated him with a passion that could not be described. First he stopped her moon from destroying the Clock Tower, which would have allowed her to get her vengeance on those golden bitches. Now, the little shit had stopped her from destroying the Clock Tower's barrier, and had somehow caused her enough injury to force retreat. Her astro-form floated off towards Snowhead as she seethed.

That brat. That damned, green-clothed brat. He had destroyed her mask, and she had almost perished with no form to hold her spirit. But she had survived. She had clung onto life with a grip that none could match, and somehow remained alive. Shattered, yes… but alive. After several weeks of simply floating near the log south of Clock Town, she decided she had regained enough power to return to a physical form. Once she had manifested herself in a tiny, flea-sized form, she had set out for Stone Tower, the place her mask had been kept in ancient times. Not able to muster enough energy to fly or teleport there, she had had to walk through the jungle of grass that was Termina Field. Occasionally, she had been able to hitch a ride on a traveller's boot, but her grip had always failed after one or two of the massive steps. She had never felt so helpless, and that kid, that thrice-damned piece of Hylian scum, was responsible for that. It had taken her a week just to reach the dirt road that led to Ikana from the log. She had climbed on top of a pebble and seethed.

She had reflected on the battle in the moon. He had brashly challenged her by accepting the moon-child's "game." He materialized in her arena, looking around curiously. Then, he looked down at the mask in his hands. He raised it to his face, then he screamed as the transformation took place, and she had been shocked when it was over. Standing before her was the slightly altered form of her old lover, Kai. But those days were over; they had been sworn enemies for centuries before she had been sealed in that accursed mask. The brat used Kai's power against her, and she had been vanquished. And after that, she had been left there to seethe on a pebble in a body no bigger than a flea.

Majora pulled out of her reverie as she touched down in Snowhead Village, coming out of her astro-form and manifesting physically. A shriek came from behind her, and she turned to see some scum pushing her children behind her. The human begged for Majora to leave them alone. Disgusting.

"Useless mortal wench," she said aloud. She raised her hand, her palm pointing toward them. "Begone!" The woman and her children fled, even though they knew they were going to be killed. Majora lowered her hand, a look of disgust on her face. _Cowards,_ she thought. _A single threat and they scurry away like mice. How pitiful._ They weren't even worth killing. She turned toward the mountain and started up the trail, not wanting to waste any more energy flying or maintaining an astro-form. The rhythm of her steps put her in a trance-like state. She hardly noticed the feel of the grass being flattened under her feet, the bends in the trail, or her various wounds. She was becoming lost in memories again.

One month. That was how long it had taken her to reach the top of Ikana Canyon. The first week and a half had been spent getting to the first cliff and waiting for Sakon, the thief, to return to his home. She had been able to ride his shoe up the cliff, but fell off when he took his first step. Another week and a half was spent travelling to the canyon and climbing it. Once again, she had had to wait for Sakon to arrive so she could ride him up the cliff when the ladder was lowered for him to make his delivery to the mortals atop the cliff. The last week was spent travelling across the top of the cliff to Stone Tower. By the time she had reached the entrance to the tower, her power had regenerated enough for her to fly up the blasphemed tiers to the entrance to the temple, which was in the shape of a Guardian's head. She had collapsed against the wall of the entrance tunnel, utterly drained.

After taking a moment to recover, she stood, walking down the entrance tunnel of Stone Tower Temple. Once in the entrance room, she shifted to a spirit form and housed herself in the large stone monument in the shape of her mask. There she had waited for a year, until her power had grown enough that she decided she would try summoning an ally, one to take care of her as she recovered. She had been able to pull Odolwa from the void, but that had taken more energy than she thought. She was left once again as almost nothing, having to go right back to the monument in order to stay alive. Odolwa had also needed time to recover from the void, and for several days, they simply sat and recovered. When Odolwa had recovered, she decided he didn't need increased size to execute the mission she had planned for him. She sent him to whisper in a few ears in Clock Town, so that they would invite the one who had defeated her to the Carnival. Then, she had sent him to find and subdue the four Guardian Giants of Termina.

_And now, here I am,_ Majora thought as she approached Snowhead Temple. _Beaten and broken, desperate for help._ And she would get help. She knew exactly what she was doing here. She knew that damn brat would get what was coming to him. She grinned. He wouldn't know what hit him.

Author: Sorry for the flashbacks-within-flashbacks, but that was the only way I could think to write this chapter. Yes, the language in this chapter is... explicit. But she's a demon, so what the hell? Kai is an original name for the Fierce Deity, it is a Japanese word that I think sounds badass. I hope you have noticed that I've been using some of the Japanese names throughout the story (i.e. Stalkid instead of Skull Kid, Dal Blue instead of Indigo-Gos, etc.).

Kudos to you if you have read the article that I am basing Termina's history on. If you haven't seen it already, Google "the message of majoras mask" and it should come up. That article changed the way I saw this game, and I'm sure it will change how you see it too.

EDITS: I have gone through and removed the parenthesized AUTHOR'S NOTEs so that this story doesn't get removed for not following criteria. All the notes have been moved down to the notes at the end of the story. The massive typo in Chapter 2 when Romani calls Cremia has been fixed as well.

The backstory with Kai has been rewritten and moved to Chapter 13 as the original one that was in this chapter was a train wreck and made no sense at all.


	8. Aftermath

NORTHEASTERN TERMINA FIELD

"Romani," I said, shaking her. Now that the adrenaline was dying down, the pain was coming back. I shook Romani again, harder this time. "Romani!" She stirred and groaned. _Oh, thank the goddesses!_ I thought. Romani opened her eyes wide, then turned over and retched on the ground, leaving a red puddle. She retched again. I swore and pulled out the bottle that had held the special Blue Potion. There was a small collection of blue fluid at the bottom. _I hope it's enough to do something,_ I thought as I turned her over and poured the miniscule amount of potion down her throat. "Come on, come on! You're not dying on me now!" I said to her. She retched a final time, then looked up at me.

"You're one to talk," she said, her voice gravelly. "You're covered in blood!" I looked down at my chest and saw that the wound from the whip had gone deeper than I thought. Warm blood was dripping down the front of my tunic, and I felt more running down the side of my face from a long scratch above my eye, which probably happened when I was launched across the field by Majora's blows and slid slightly over a stray stone. Romani sat up, wincing. She turned her head and spat out fresh blood.

"Careful," I said. "You're still bleeding internally. The potion must not have been enough."

"Me? What about you?" she asked, now trying to stand. My eyes fell on something next to her left foot. I reached for it and picked it up. It was a red, heart-shaped stone.

"This should cover me," I said, holding up the stone to show her. I then pressed it to the wound on my chest and gave it a tiny spark of magic. The stone glowed softly, and I felt the wound closing. Romani's eyes widened.

"That's incredible," she said. A few seconds later, the stone went dim. I held it up again; it was gray.

"I've only met a few other people who know how to use these," I said. I cast the stone aside and stood up. Romani tried to do the same, but let out a harsh breath and sat down again.

"I don't think I can walk," she said. She turned her head and spat out more blood. I went to pick her up, but then hesitated. She noticed my movement. "What is it?"

"I…" I started. She looked at me quizzically. "I… I was going to pick you up and take you to get a potion," I finished.

"Well what are you waiting for?" she said. I lifted her up in my arms and half-jogged toward town. I knew I needed to move fast, but I didn't want to cause further damage accidentally. As I walked through Clock Town, people who had favored the shelter of their own homes over the safety of distance stuck their heads out of windows and doors. Jim walked up to me.

"Is it over?" he asked.

"For now," I replied. His gaze went to Romani.

"What happened to her?" he asked.

"She's hurt. I need to get her some potion." Romani sent Jim a small wave, then turned and spat out more blood, making Jim's eyes widen. "Jim, go to the banker and tell him this number." I told him the number. "Ask for 80 rupees. Then, go to the Trading Post and bring me back a bottle of Red Potion." He nodded and ran off. I went into the Stock Pot Inn. Anju poked her head up from behind the desk.

"Link?" she asked. "Link, is that you?"

"Yes," I said. "I need a bed." Anju stood up and saw Romani.

"I see," she said. "Kafei!" A door opened down the hall behind Anju. A few seconds later, Kafei walked in. His long purple hair was tied in a ponytail, and his eyes were grave.

"What is it, Anju?" he asked. His eyes fell on Romani and I. "Hello, green-hat boy. Can I assume from your presence that the threat to the town is gone?"

"Kafei, his name is Link," Anju said.

"Majora is gone for now," I said. "My friend needs a bed while Jim is getting her some potion." Kafei nodded and told me to follow him. He led me up to the room where the Gorman Troupe had been staying when I was first in Termina. I laid Romani on the bed across from the one which had had Gorman's underwear on it. There was a knock on the door. Kafei left and came back with a bottle of red liquid. He walked over to the bed and poured the contents down Romani's throat. A few seconds later, Romani turned on her side to get up and a small yelp was heard. Romani quickly sat up and reached in her pocket. When she pulled her hand out, it held a cream-colored orb of light.

"Sorry Tatl!" Romani said, setting the fairy on the nightstand. Her light was quite dim. I slapped my head as I realized what was wrong.

"Tael! Crud, I need to find him!" Romani and Kafei looked at me confusedly. "I've been around fairies my whole life. Tatl is really worried about Tael, I can tell from her brightness. I need to go find him."

"You'll do that?" Tatl asked.

"Yeah. You stay here and look after Romani." I left the Inn and went to South Clock Town, calling for the purple fairy. I went to the Laundry Pool and heard voices. One of them was Tael's.

"No! Get away!" he said.

"Come here, you stupid pixie!" said another voice.

"PIXIE? I'll show you a pixie!" I ran down the staircase to see that Sakon the thief was trying to put Tael in a bottle. Tael was smashing into Sakon's head, apparently showing him a pixie. I walked up behind Sakon and drew my sword. The sound of the metal surfaces sliding past each other made them both stop and turn to look at me.

"Okay," I said. "Here's what is going to happen. You," I pointed my sword at Sakon, "are going to leave or I will cause you pain." Sakon laughed.

"What joke is this?" he said. "A child, challenging me? Come here, boy and I will show you how to 'cause pain.'" He drew a long knife from a sheath on the back of his belt. A few seconds later, the knife was in the pool and Sakon was on the ground.

"This is the part where you run away," I said. Sakon did so. Tael emerged from behind my head.

"Wow," he said. "That was… awesome. I'm actually kind of jealous that my sister got a whole adventure with you."

"Speaking of your sister, she's really worried about you. We need to go back to her."

"All righty then. Let's go." Tael settled on my shoulder as I set off for the inn. I looked up at the Clock Tower as I passed. I remembered the strange force field that had appeared under Majora's assault. She had talked about destroying the structure to get to Hyrule. But what really puzzled me was the fact that the tower was built directly over the portal from Hyrule to Termina. Coincidence? I pondered that as I opened the door to the inn and stepped inside. I didn't pay attention when Romani entered the room with Tatl on her shoulder, nor when Tatl called her brother's name. Tael flew off my shoulder and alighted next to Tatl, asking her why she wasn't flying. I stood in thought as Tatl explained to her brother about her broken wing, and maintained my demeanor as Tael picked up his sister and flew out the open door. Romani closed the door behind them, but I didn't notice. I was still trying to make sense of the Clock Tower. Romani poked me and I snapped out of it.

"Oh… hi" I said. "How do you feel?"

"Good enough for this," she said, and she put her lips on mine. I was so shocked that I couldn't react. I simply stood there as she kissed me. She stepped back with a disappointed look. "That," she said, "was feeble. Feeeeeble."

"I… I…" I stuttered. I stood there with my mouth opening and closing, uttering the single syllable over and over. Romani looked amused. "What's wrong, Grasshopper?" I gave up trying to explain and did the same thing she had done to me. This time, it was she who did not react. I stepped back and said, "That's what's wrong." Romani was silent for a while.

"I… I see," she said finally. "That… makes perfect sense. Maybe… we're not at that stage yet."

"My thoughts exactly." I thought for a moment. "I _do_ think we can settle for a nice walk though."

"Walking sounds nice," she said, coming up to me. I crooked my arm and she put hers through the gap. I opened the door and we stepped out into the night air. A warm breeze coasted across the square, ruffling the brightly colored streamers and ribbons that hung about it. "It's a beautiful night," Romani said.

"If you don't count the fact that a demon just attacked, yeah," I said, smiling. We turned right and went through the passage to South Clock reached the mailbox next to the Clock Tower and turned right, heading for North Clock Town. We were silent as we walked along the scaffolding.

"That was a good punch," I said, trying to keep the conversation going. She looked down and smiled.

"Well… You _were_ getting your butt handed to you on a silver platter." She shot me a sidelong glance. "You really thought it was good?"

"Yeah, you're a life saver." Romani smiled again. "No, really. You actually saved my life. Thank you." We turned into North Clock Town, and headed for the slide.

"You have got to try this thing," Romani said. "It is _so_ much fun." She ran off towards it, but just then, a voice came from the entrance to East Clock Town.

"Link!" it said. I turned to see Mayor Dotour walking towards me, looking grave. "I must know what happened." I nodded, took a deep breath and launched into an explanation of Majora and her plans.

"I have no idea how she survived, just that she's back and wants to kill me," I finished. Dotour let out a deep sigh.

"Well," he said. "That _is_ a problem."

_You think?_ I thought.

"One more question. Several people tell me that they saw you change into a strange form, one you have not changed into before. They say you were taller than the average man, and had frightening strength."

"That," I said, "is something I am not entirely sure about myself." I pulled out the Fierce Deity Mask. "This is the mask that lets me take that form. I believe that the spirit inside it is some kind of demon. I am always very cautious when using its power, as the spirit is quite rebellious." Mayor Dotour opened his mouth to respond, but a chorus of loud moans drowned him out. The Guardians were waking up. "Excuse me, sir," I said, running out the gate.

"Grasshopper, wait," said Romani, running over to me. She held her hand out to me, displaying a familiar cream-colored orb. "Don't you need her to translate?"

"Yeah," I said. I held out my hand for Tatl to step onto, then turned and starting walking as I raised Tatl to my shoulder. The Northern Guardian was picking himself up off the ground, which was very difficult for him to do because he had no torso to sit up with. He had to roll over onto his face and push himself up onto his knees with his arms. Once he had stood up, he looked down and saw me. I waved. He began to sing, his moans carrying a beautiful yet mournful melody.

"Greetings, hero," Tatl said. "It is good you are here."

"I suppose it is," I said. "May I ask how you and your kin were possessed by Majora?" The Guardian's brow furrowed and his song took on more of an aggressive tone.

"The demon opened portals to our sacred plane and her servant used strange magic to subdue us. We were helpless when she woke us up and transferred her evil spirit to East's body. We were equally helpless when she turned on us in East's body and used his body to enhance her own power, allowing her to put the rest of us under mind control." The giant added a small grunt to the end of the song, and Tatl translated it as, "Fear." I could understand that last remark fully.

"What should I do? I do not think I will be able to defeat her again, let alone kill her." The Guardian was silent for a moment, and I heard the others' booming footsteps as they walked around town to where we were. The Guardian looked around at his eye level, then back down at me. He started singing again.

"We will deliberate on this matter and return to you later with an answer." The other Guardians joined North, who sang a brief song to them. Then they held hands and sang together. They slowly faded out of the material plane as they sang, and soon they were back in their own plane. A cough came from behind me, and I turned to see Mayor Dotour, accompanied by Captain Viscen and the guard of the North Gate. Apparently, anytime he went even a step outside of town, he needed protection. It was strange to me; King Torren was able to walk freely around Hyrule by himself, as he was as skilled a swordsman as I was. Even Princess Zelda could walk around by herself, having received basic self defense lessons and heavily studying offensive and defensive magic.

"What did our Guardians have to say?" the mayor asked. I explained my brief conversation with the Northern Guardian, and the mayor looked shocked. "You are saying that this demon has enough power to subdue our Guardians?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, and she probably hasn't even fully regained her power yet."

"I see. Thank you, Link. What will you do?" The sky started to turn red.

"Me? I'm probably going to go back to the ranch and sleep. I'm exhausted."

"You're lucky you can," Romani said, appearing behind Dotour. The guards jumped and looked angry that they hadn't heard the young girl approach. "Cremia would kill me if I asked for two days off of chores." We bade the mayor farewell and started walking to where Epona stood grazing in Northwestern Termina field.

"This is ironic," I said. Romani gave me a confused look. "Well, we just left one mayor and are now walking toward another one," I explained. Romani looked confused for a moment, then a grin spread over her face.

"That," she said, "was possibly the worst pun you've made yet."

"Then why are you smiling?" I asked, now smiling myself.

"It was still funny, but it was terrible!" Epona nickered as we approached.

"Hello to you too," I said, holding out a sugar cube, which was pleasantly crunching in Epona's mouth a second later. Romani and I mounted the horse and rode off towards Romani Ranch. "So… uh," I started.

"So… what?"

"About the kiss…"

"Oh," she said. "That. Yeah, I don't know what came over me. I just… did it."

"I see," I said, twirling the reins around my index finger. "It was… good."

"You thought so?"

"Yeah. It just… made me really uncomfortable." She looked sad at this. "No, not like that! It was just… unexpected. Took me completely by surprise." I smiled. "And taking me by surprise is a difficult thing to do. You should be proud." She smiled at this.

"Is that truth or ego talking?"

"Mmm… a bit of both." We were silent for a while. "You called me by my real name out there."

"I did, didn't I!" she said brightly. "Maybe I _am_ growing up a little bit! At least I got over talking in the third person. Cremia always hounded me on that." We passed under the arch leading to Milk Road. I drew my sword automatically.

"What's with you?" Romani asked.

"Last time I came down this road, one of the Gorman brothers attacked me. I'm not taking any chances, especially not with you here." Fortunately, we made it down Milk Road with no conflict. We rode up to the ranch house and dismounted. Cremia rushed outside and threw her arms around Romani.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're okay!" she said, sounding as though she was on the verge of tears. "Oh my goodness, I was so scared!"

"Sis, I'm fine! Really!" protested Romani. "Grasshopper protected me."

"What happened to growing up?" I asked. Romani smiled at me.

"You'll always be my Grasshopper, silly," she said. "No matter how much I grow up!"

"You two are… awfully calm despite the giant attack," Cremia observed.

"Well, that _was _quite a while ago," I pointed out. I yawned and stretched. "I'm going to bed. See you two in a few hours!" I waved.

"Good night, Grasshopper!" Romani said. "Or rather, good morning…" I chuckled as I closed the door. I removed my sword belt and tunic, then fell onto the bed and drifted into the realm of dreams.

Author: I guess this is going more towards romance than I originally intended... Oh, well. Things happen. Anyway, I am still waiting for more feedback. I want to know if people read the first chapter and say "Screw this, it sucks," or if you guys are actually reading this. Please please PLEASE leave a review. Leave suggestions for the story, leave SOMETHING! Please. I want to know your thoughts. Nothing you say can discourage me anyways; this is getting finished whether people like it or not. Anyhow, I will start Chapter 9 soon, but I am gonna take a little break. This chapter went through numerous rewrites, and I blew off my homework for two days to work on it. PLEASE REVIEW!


	9. Of Giants and Pancakes

Note: This chapter is almost completely filler content.

ROMANI RANCH

"Grasshopper."

"No."

"Grasshopper, you need to wake up."

"I'm quite sure I've only been asleep for four hours."

"You have, and now you have to get up." I rolled over and looked up at her pitifully.

"But why?" I asked in the most child-like voice I could muster. She gave me small smile.

"Because those giant things are here to talk to you." I sat up immediately.

"What? But… I can't understand them! How will we communicate?"

"Those fairies showed up a little while ago to check on you. I told them you were sleeping."

"I'll bet Tatl got a real kick out of that," I said, putting my tunic on. Romani giggled.

"Yeah, she told me about how you were always asking if you could sleep."

"Hey, staying up for three days straight constantly is very taxing!" I said. I fastened my sword belt and hung my quiver at my side along with my item and mask pouches. I wasn't going anywhere without my gear anymore, not when Majora could pop up at any time. After ensuring I had everything I left the guest room with Romani. Tatl and Tael stood on the table, laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked suspiciously.

"The correct question is '_who_ is so funny,' and the answer is you!

"And what funny stories are you telling about me?" I asked.

"Stuff like that time you thought Kafei was a girl and you told him he would be pretty if he took the mask off…"

"Eheh," I said nervously. I cast a sidelong glance at Romani and saw she was grinning. "That time you saved the Deku Princess again and asked her if she thought you were cute as a Deku…"

"That's quite enough Tatl," I said, glancing at Romani again. She was still grinning.

"Oh! I remember that one time, you helped Cremia fend off the Gormans even though you already had the Romani Mask," Tatl said, and Romani suddenly was serious. "…and she gave you a hug instead!" Tatl continued.

"Tatl," I said calmly.

"And your face was right on her chest, and you stumbled back with the stupidest grin on your face," she went on.

"Tatl!" I said again as Romani's narrowed her eyes at me.

"And then you said, 'I feel all warm and fuzzy-"

"Well!" I said loudly, snatching Tatl off the table. "I think I heard the Guardians call! They sound impatient! Let's go Tatl!" I walked to the door and stepped out as Tatl pounded against the inside of my fist. I shook her around a little before uncurling my fingers. "_What_ are you _thinking!_" I exclaimed in a harsh whisper. "I finally hit it off with a girl and you _tell stories about me with my face in her sister's chest? _How could you!" Tatl laughed.

"'Cause it's hilarious!" she said. A loud grunt came from above, and I looked up to see the Guardians all standing in a line across the ranch. Even shoulder to shoulder it was a tight squeeze.

"Oh," I said. "Good morning, Guardians." The Northern Guardian, who I guessed was the unofficial leader of them, sang the same song he had sang to me in greeting last night.

"Greetings, hero," Tatl translated.

"So… what have you decided I should do?"

"After much thought we have decided that you must search for the demon. I believe I sensed her in my mountains. When will you set out on your journey?"

"Well, I'd like to be fully rested," I said, "so not for at least a few more hours."

"Very well, hero," the Guardian said. "We will be watching you." They joined hands again and went back to their own plane.

_Now back to Tatl,_ I thought. I grinned evilly at the fairy in my palm.

"Eep!" she squealed.

"Hey, Grasshopper!" I jumped, and turned to see Romani. Just like the guards last night, I hadn't heard her approach. It was strange; it had been almost completely silent so I should have heard her, but I didn't.

"You're really good at sneaking up on people," I remarked.

"What?"

"You're… never mind. What do you want?"

"I wanted to say I made you pancakes and-" Before she finished her sentence, I was bolting for the door, completely forgetting about Tatl. "Hey!" she shouted behind me. I didn't give a second glance as I dashed into the house and slid neatly into the chair with pancakes in front of it. I put Tatl down and cut a small piece of pancake off. I almost swooned as I chewed the syrupy goodness. Romani appeared in the doorway with a cocked eyebrow.

"I _really_ like pancakes!" I explained.

"This is nothing," Tatl said. "You should see him with waffles." I shot her a menacing glare, and she let out another "Eep!" Romani laughed and shut the door behind her. She sat down across from me.

"So," she said, furrowing her brow seriously. "What's all this business with my sister?" I swallowed my mouthful of pancakes, and it sounded like a nervous gulp, making Romani narrow her eyes again.

"First of all, I had no idea that would happen," I stated. "Second, I was really young-"

"Young? You were ten!"

"_That's young, Tatl!_" I said, glaring at the fairy. I turned back to Romani. "I was young and less mature than I am now, which is why I reacted the way I did." Romani looked a little less upset. "Are you still mad at me?" I said, eating more pancakes. Suddenly, she burst out laughing.

"I can't stay mad when you eat like that!" she said in between bursts of laughter. I cocked an eyebrow at her. "This stupid smile passes over your face whenever you take a bite of those!"

"_That_" I said, "is because pancakes are delicious! It's impossible to eat them without feeling immensely happy!"

"I don't think anyone gets as happy as you do over pancakes."

"Again: you should see him with waffles," Tatl interjected.

"What's the difference? They're the same thing with different shapes."

"Not when Anju makes them. I always looked forward to breakfast at the Stock Pot Inn on the second day. Those waffles were amazing. I've never had anything like them! They were the perfect balance of butter, syrup, and crispy yumminess!"

"I don't think yumminess is a word…"

"Oh, shut up, you know what I mean," I said, finishing the last bite of pancakes.

"I can't believe you two just had an entire conversation about breakfast food that stemmed from an interrogation about what happened with Cremia! That's ridiculous!" said Tael.

"Isn't it?" said Tatl. There was silence for a while.

"Tatl, do you want to come with me?" I asked at last.

"Mmm… not really. It sounds fun and all, but I think one adventure was enough."

"I'll come," said Tael. He flew up and alighted on my shoulder. "After that thing with Sakon, I want to see what else you're capable of."

"All right then," I said. "Well, I'm gonna finish sleeping, so…" Tael was still for a moment. Then he said, "Oh. Okay. See you in a few hours." He flew back over next to Tatl. I went back into the guest room and tried falling asleep again. Tried. The sunlight streaming in through the window was making it quite difficult, and so I went back out 5 minutes later and said, "Let's go."

Author: I decided to mess around with comic relief. The last couple of chapters have been pretty serious, so... yeah. I guess the whole thing with breakfast was kinda stereotypical for comedy, but its so easy to write! Anyway, chapter 10 will continue the plot. It will get epic again, trust me. let me know if this gave you lolz.


	10. Snowhead

Snowhead Mountain. In winter, it is a barren wasteland of ice and snow, littered with the odd snow covered tree and huge snowballs. In springtime, it is a beautiful place of life, with green grass, clear water, and the exciting Goron Races. Or so it should have been. When I arrived in Snowhead Village, I found the few trees there were broken in half, a large section of the Mountain Smithy's house missing, and what looked like huge hoofprints.

"What has happened here?" Tael thought aloud as we looked at the devastation.

"Majora," I said.

"That doesn't explain the hoofprints though," Tael pointed out.

"By the size of them, I'm not sure I want to find out." I looked up at Tael. "What do you think we should do?" The purple fairy pondered this for a moment.

"I guess… investigate," he said at last. I nodded and walked over to one of the oversized hoofprints. It was as wide as three of my hands and four times as long. The depression was about two inches deep, suggesting that the immense creature had an equally immense weight, which was of course to be expected. I stood up and looked around. Walking over to one of the fallen trees, I saw something strange. The tree had not been cut down or indeed knocked down. It was broken. What remained of the trunk was splintered, along with the broken part on the ground. A few of the branches had been trampled underneath the same gigantic hooves.

"Whatever this thing is, it's big and hellbent on destruction," I remarked. Tael blinked in acknowledgement. I went to the smithy's house and examined the gigantic hole in the side of it. The corner was gone, leaving jagged and broken logs on either side of me. Once again, it was simply broken, as if something had charged into it. I looked inside the house and saw an arm sticking out of a pile of rubble. I quickly ran inside and started digging the Smithy out.

"Hurry," he said weakly. I finally dug out the man's torso. I grabbed his arm and pulled him out.

"Do you know what happened?" I asked him.

"No," he said. "One second, Gabora and I are just sitting around, drinking coffee, and the next, the side of the house blows up. I have no idea what happened to the poor guy." I looked around for the other smith, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Do you think he got knocked outside?" I asked.

"I just told you I have no idea, didn't I?"

"Link, I think you should come see this," said Tael from outside. I ran out to where he was and saw the hoofprints leading away from the scene, down towards Goron Village. "Whatever this is, it's not stopping here."

"Should we look for Gabora?" I asked.

"Wherever he is, he'll find his way back," called the smith from inside the building. "He was wearing his armor, like he always does. I'm sure he's fine. You go after that… thing." I nodded and set out down the path to Goron Village. I walked across the bridges that connected the islands in the lagoon and proceeded into the cliffside area where the gorons made their home.

"Whoa…" I said. The roof of the large central mound was shattered and a large chunk was missing from side. The Gorons were strewn across the ground, some clearly dead, others mortally wounded. A few were unscathed, but had wild and panicked looks in their purple eyes. The cries of the physically and emotionally wounded filled the air. I walked down the slope to the right and ran over to the nearest coherent-looking Goron. "What has happened here?" I asked him.

"It… It… It came and it… it b-broke through the wall and sh-shattered the ceiling!"

"What did?"

"The machine… The giant machine!"

_Machine? Could it be…? No. No that thing ran into the wall and destroyed itself. Majora couldn't rebuild it… could she?_ A loud, childish wail permeated the clamor. I turned to see the son of the patriarch kneeling by his father's corpse, tears streaming from his eyes and huge sobs wracking his body. A sympathetic Goron walked over to try and console him, but the child pushed him away. _ Be thankful you got to know your father at least,_ I thought. _I never even knew mine._ I turned to face the Goron I was talking to.

"Which way did it go?" The Goron pointed toward a large hole in the rock face that surrounded the village. "Ah." I set out towards the hole, then stopped. I looked around to make sure that no one was looking at me, then pulled out the Goron Mask and pressed it to my face, assuming the form of Darmani, the proud Goron hero. I called to his spirit, and showed him the patriarch's son. _If anyone can console him, it's you,_ I said. I let Darmani assume control of my body and he walked over to the young Goron.

"Why do you cry, young one?" he asked as he approached. The young Goron looked up at Darmani, and stopped crying for a moment. Then he threw himself into Darmani's arms, wailing louder than ever.

"Darmy!" he cried. "He's gone! He's gone and he can't come back!" Darmani patted the young boy on the back.

"Shh," he soothed, "hush now, boy." The patriarch's son looked up at Darmani. "Think about what your father would have wanted you to do. Would he have wanted you to cry?" The boy paused for a moment then shook his head. "No, that's right. What would he have wanted you to do?" The young Goron thought.

"He would've told me to be brave," he said at last. Darmani smiled at him.

"Yes. He would've wanted you to be brave, to give courage to your fellow Goron, to shine as a light in the darkness of despair. Look around you." The young boy did so. "There is a time to mourn your father, but it is not now. Your brothers need strength in their time of need. You," he put his finger on the boy's chest, "can give it to them." The young Goron smiled up at Darmani, and Darmani beamed back down at him. "Go. Be brave, and give our brothers strength!" The young boy nodded and Darmani put him down. Darmani and I watched as he ran over to one of his friends and started telling him the same things Darmani had told him. As I took back control of my body from Darmani, he thanked me for letting him give the boy courage. I pulled the mask off my face and walked towards the large hole again.

"That was a good thing to do," remarked Tael. "You-"

"Shh," I said as we approached the hole. "We don't know what's through here." I drew my sword and stepped into the hole. Whatever this thing was had smashed right through the thick rock face onto the other side. I crept cautiously through the small cavern. When I emerged on the other side, I looked around cautiously. The area I was in was not one I had seen before. It was a large, forested area. Like Goron Village, there was a sheer drop-off on the far side. A wide path had been cut, or rather smashed, through the trees. "Well that doesn't look good," I thought aloud as I walked down the blazed trail. Tael suddenly flew towards my head and scrambled under my hat. "Whoa, what's wrong?"

"I… I sense something," he said. "It has a really dark aura."

"Is it Majora," I asked, immediately on guard.

"No… It's not _that_ dark…" It happened then: I felt something in the ground. It was the slightest tremor; I almost thought I had imagined it. But it was continuous, and it started growing more violent. The leaves of the trees started rustling. I became aware of the sound of trees cracking to my left, and I turned in that direction. The tremor was now quite noticeable. It wasn't enough to make me lose my balance, but it was certainly noticeable. A metallic tang became present in the air.

_I guess it is that thing then,_ I thought. Right on cue, something gigantic smashed through the tree wall on my left. It was, as I had expected Goht, the mechanical beast I had fought in the Snowhead Temple. It was 25 feet high and 50 feet long, and to top it all off, it had Odolwa standing on its head.

"Hello there, boy," he called, brandishing his sword. "Would you like to play with my goat? I'm sure it wants to play with you!"

_No kidding,_ I thought as it pawed the ground. "Tael, how should I go about this?" The purple fairy peeked out of my hat.

"Hmm… You should find some way to trip Goht. That should knock Odolwa off, allowing you to fight them separately."

_Oh, great,_ I thought sarcastically. I nodded my head and pulled out the Goron Mask again. Goht reared at the sight of the mask, and I smirked.

"Oh, that's right," I said. "I killed you with this, didn't I?" I quickly slapped the mask on and turned into Darmani. Goht turned and fled through the forest. I curled up and followed.

_I don't think I'll need to use magic to speed me up,_ I thought as I ejected the spikes. I allowed myself some amazement at the extraordinary senses Goron's had that allowed them to navigate safely when rolling around.

"What are you doing, you stupid machine!" I heard Odolwa shout. "He's THAT way!" I was starting to catch up to Goht, and I used a little bit of magic to speed me up. "Never mind, run faster, he's gaining!" Odolwa yelled over the pounding of Goht's hooves. I allowed myself a small smile at that as I approached Goht's legs. "RUN YOU FOOL!" Odolwa screamed at his mechanical steed. Suddenly, Goht stopped completely, and I skidded to a stop and uncurled. I turned around to see Goht with a crackling line of electricity between its horns.

"CRAP!" I shouted, diving aside as a white lightning bolt shot at me. Unfortunately, Darmani's heavy body was hard pressed to stay in the air long enough to get out of the way, and the lightning bolt entered my body as I crashed to the ground. I screamed as an immense burning sensation spread through my body. My nerves burned as the electricity overloaded the pain sensors. I writhed on the ground for what felt like forever. The electricity finally finished its transit through me to the ground, leaving a dull ache through my entire body behind it. I groaned and rolled onto my stomach as Goht approached me, Odolwa cackling on his head.

"Oh, yes, Majora will be quite pleased," he said. Goht lifted up its hoof and positioned it above my head. "Goht, what are you doing? You can't kill him! NO!" I barrel rolled aside as Goht's hoof smashed into the ground where my head had been. I pushed myself to my feet and pulled the mask off my face. I ran under Goht, heading for the treeline. I jumped and grabbed hold of a branch on a tall tree. I began to climb the tree, keeping an eye on the mechanical beast, which was still looking around in front of it for me. Reaching a branch that was level with Goht's back, I leaped out from the tree, drawing my knife. I landed in a roll on its back, coming to my feet facing Odolwa. I became aware of a hum that seemed to run through Goht's entire body. I ran forward across Goht's back, my footsteps clanging on the metal surface. Odolwa turned in time to see me leap forward to tackle him, knife in hand. My arms snapped shut on him, plunging the knife into his kidney. The force of my tackle knocked him off Goht's back and we began to fall to the ground, Odolwa screaming in pain. Thinking quickly, I pulled the bloody knife out and kicked off of Odolwa, then pulled my hookshot from my item pouch. I fired blindly and felt a shock run down the chain as the spearhead stuck into a tree branch. The chain immediately retracted, pulling me to the branch. I climbed onto it, pulled the hookshot out and looked down at Odolwa's body spread-eagled on the ground. Impulsively, I drew the Gilded Sword and jumped out of the tree with the blade, point down. The blade sunk into Odolwa's neck almost to the hilt, and I landed heavily on his chest, making his body convulse. I pulled the sword out and blood gushed from Odolwa's neck. I looked away from the disgusting sight and looked up at Goht. The mechanical beast reared at the sight of Odolwa's dead body. I dove out of the way as it charged, rolling as I hit the ground. I came to my feet and pulled out the hookshot again, then fired it ahead of Goht.

"What are you doing?" Tael yelled, peeking out from under my hat. Goht's right horn hit the chain, which coiled around the horn. I was jerked from the ground both by Goht's momentum and the chain retracting. As I was pulled up, I had to keep kicking off of Goht's flank to prevent from breaking my nose on the metal surface. When I reached the horn, I used it to anchor myself, so the hook would retract to me instead of the other way around. Instead, it stayed in place. I decided to use this to my advantage. I wedged the hookshot between myself and the horn and used my freed hand to put the Goron Mask on. After the transformation, I grabbed the hookshot again and dropped onto Goht's head. I ran diagonally left down Goht's back, Darmani's mass preventing me from being reeled in. When the chain could go no further, I turned and yanked on it. The mechanical beast's head jerked to the side. The unexpected change in direction cause it to overbalance and it started to fall over. I panicked when I realized I hadn't thought this part out.

"What now?" asked Tael.

"I don't know."

"WHAT!

"_SHUT UP I'M THINKING!"_ By this time, Goht's back was nearly vertical. I would fall off and get crushed if I waited any longer. I pulled the mask off and replaced it with the Bunny Hood. With the extra speed, I was able to run up Goht's back and jump off. I swapped the Bunny Hood for the Goron Mask again and curled up mid-air. I rolled once when I hit the ground, then jumped up and turned around.

"That worked," remarked Tael, floating out from under my hat.

"Yeah," I agreed, "but how do I kill it?" I jumped back as Goht swung a leg at me. Tael flew over to Goht's underside.

"Hey, there's a panel here. Looks like it can be pulled off." I rolled over to where he was and looked.

"So there is." I pulled the panel off and saw a single large wire. I looked at Tael. "It can't be that easy."

"It could be." I looked back at the wire. I took it in my hands. I ripped it out. Goht's flailing legs ceased moving, and the hum that came from his body stopped.

"I guess it was that easy," I said.

"Told you." I pulled the mask off.

"Well, we found Odolwa and Goht," I said, "but no Majora." I looked up at the fairy. "Do you think she's here?"

"You're asking the wrong fairy. I have no idea how Majora thinks. I've never analyzed her."

"I _think_ that you've pissed me off again!" said Majora's voice. I whirled around, tearing the Gilded Sword from its sheathe.

"Show yourself!" I challenged her. She laughed.

"Maybe later. I would commend you for defeating my underlings again, but I worked rather hard to fix Goht, so I'll just be angry at you instead!" A sound alerted me to something above my head, and I dove aside as a sphere of dark energy hit the ground where I had been standing and exploded. "Stay still!"

"I'm good with moving around!" I said, pulling out the hookshot again. I ran out of the open path that Goht had smashed through the forest and fired the hookshot at a high tree branch. I began to hookshot through the trees, silently thanking the goddesses for the mostly silent tool. The forest continued to be peppered with spheres of dark magic as I tried to find the exit.

"Aren't you supposed to be courageous, boy?" I didn't answer, knowing it was a ruse to get me to reveal my location. "My, my. Farore certainly chose her bearer poorly this time!" I gritted my teeth at the insult to my patron goddess, but pushed down my irritation as I saw the hole that marked the exit. Suddenly, a barrage of dark spheres crashed through the canopy. Thinking of a ruse of my own, I swapped my sword and hookshot for the Ocarina of Time. Using the noise of the barrage as cover, I played the Elegy of Emptiness as quietly as possible. A huge wave of dizziness washed over me as the song's cloning effect took place, and I struggled to keep myself steady on the branch. After it left, I stepped away and turned around to look at the clone. Its soulless eyes gazed at me with a joyless grin. I shuddered and turned away from the emotionless face, waiting for a sphere to come somewhere near me. I only had to wait a few seconds. When the sphere whizzed past my ear, I quickly screamed and threw the Elegy clone out into the forest, immediately hookshotting away. After two more hookshots, I dropped to the ground and flattened myself against the tree. Tael popped out of my hat.

"What are yo-" I quickly closed my hand around him to shut him up.

"Quiet," I whispered to him through my fingers. My keen ears picked up Majora's voice then.

"Come, boy! Up! Surely you wish to fight before I kill you!" There was a silence. "I am speaking to you, scum!" Another silence. "I SAID-" I heard a small rustle as the statue was turned over, then, "Ugh!" I smirked. "Well played, brat. Well played." There was a small _whoosh_ that signified her teleportation. I waited for 15 seconds. Nothing. I let out a sight of relief and opened my hand.

"That was too close for comfort," Tael said.

"Indeed it was," Majora said, suddenly appearing behind me. I yelped and bolted for the exit, but Majora's hand closed around my collar and pulled me in. She secured her left arm around my chest, trapping my arms, and her right arm around my neck. _"Now you die!"_ she breathed in my ear.

_No… NO!_ I thought as she constricted my windpipe. Then, out of nowhere, an arrow sprouted from Majora's right shoulder. She hissed and released my chest to pull it out. With my arms freed, I grabbed my knife and embedded it in her abdomen. This time, she grunted, but she did not remove her arm from my neck. I pulled the knife out and slashed the arm around my neck.

"Augh!" Majora yelled. I fell to my knees, gasping for the air my lungs were begging for. I silently thanked whoever had shot the arrow as I rose to my feet and drew the Gilded Sword. I pivoted right, bringing my left leg up in a kick that I delivered to Majora's chin. I followed up by smashing my shield into her ribcage, and her breath left her in a harsh exhale. I raised my sword to decapitate the demon, and she looked directly into my eyes. I froze, paralyzed by fear. Unrestrained hate and anger burned in the terrifying orange orbs.

"DO IT LINK!" shouted a voice. The voice jolted me from my paralysis and I looked around.

_That voice… No, it couldn't be._ Majora took advantage of my distraction and kicked me between the legs.

"AUGH!" I cried, collapsing. Majora leaped on top of me, shoving her knee into my stomach and clapping her hands around my throat.

_Why does she always try to choke me!_ I thought as I struggled to get her off me. The Gilded Sword was to long to be useful in such close quarters. I cast it aside and smashed my fist into the side of Majora's head. She growled and squeezed harder. My vision clouded and began to grow dark. _No…_ The last thing I saw was a wave of red. My eyes closed, and I died.

Author: Thank you for 1500 views everyone! I still wish more people would review, but from what I have, it seems people are liking it. As such, I will stop asking you to review, although I do still appreciate the feedback. This chapter took a little longer to write because I have a beginning and an end, but no middle. I've also been doing a lot of reading, and in my reading, I've found that another story is called Majora's Revenge. Because of this, I will be changing my title when I post the next chapter. PM me with suggestions if you have a good idea.

While I'm here, I figured I'd give a few shoutouts. First off, I'd like to thank ZeldaRubix for her detailed reviews. Her story, _The Girl with the Green Hair_, is an incredible story about Saria becoming Hylian. Secondly, Queenie Z and her series of one-shots, _The Hyrulian Valhalla Saga_, which is about the various Links and their adventures in the afterlife. The stories are short and funny, great for a rainy day. Congrats on 50+ chapters, Queenie Z! Next up, Running Ninja and his story, _Legend of Zelda: A Link from the Past_. This is easily one of my favorite Zelda fics. It's about Link, who has been having night terrors after his adventures in Termina, going to the future timeline so that adult Link can help him. Awesome story Running Ninja! Finally, FakeJake93 and _Majora's Mask._ This was the first fanfiction I read. It is AWESOME. FakeJake93 takes an original spin on the events of LoZ:MM with incredible results. I really hope it comes off hiatus soon!

See you guys next chapter.


	11. Romani Takes Action

Author: Hmm… I got a lot of favorites after Link "died" in the last chapter. And I changed my mind. Review. I want to know why the heck you guys like this so much. I think it's awful; it doesn't start getting good until I start improvising in Chapter 8. I mean seriously, Majora's backstory is a train wreck, so much so that I'm rerwriting it. (I'm not sure if the MajoraXFierce Deity pairing will survive. Let me know if you guys want to see that and your feedback will affect my decision on this).

Okay, so the only way I could think to write this chapter was in third-person omniscient. Sorry for the PoV shifts, but it's for the story, so that's okay right? Anyways, enjoy.

SNOWHEAD MOUNTAIN

Romani had followed Link to Snowhead. She knew he wouldn't have wanted her to come, but she did anyway. She was worried about him. She wanted to help. And so, she had followed him up the mountain trail and into the village, silent as always. He had pointed out to her how good she was at sneaking before, and she was using that to her advantage. She watched from the entrance to the forested area as he battled Goht and Odolwa. She watched as he fell from a tree as he fled Majora. She watched them fight, firing an arrow to help Link escape Majora's stranglehold, and when he hesitated in decapitating the demon, she had called out "DO IT LINK!" Now, as she watched Majora choke Link to death, she decided to act. She strung an arrow and fired at Majora. It missed the demon by inches. Romani, seeing that her position was revealed to the demon, ran out from the tunnel and grabbed Link's sword. Unbeknownst to her, her red hair was the last thing he saw before his eyes closed.

"I told you to stay away from him!" Romani said, brandishing the Gilded Sword. Majora looked amused.

"Do you even know how to use that?" she asked the young girl.

"I might," Romani said. She was bluffing. She had absolutely no experience with the weapon; it felt heavy in her hands. She started to have second thoughts about defending Link.

_No!_ she thought. _No backing down! I have to help him!_ Majora rolled her eyes.

"Why do you insist on resisting me, girl?" Majora sighed. "This is not what I remember mortal females acting like. They were defenseless, useless, and they screamed. A lot." She pointed at Romani. "You… you are strange. You have challenged me twice. I am curious. Why would you do this? Why do you not let this _brat_," she kicked Link, "fight on his own? He is the alleged hero. Hell, he is a _he!_ You are a girl. Go home and knit socks, girl." With a yell, Romani swung the sword at Majora. The demon was not expecting this, and jumped back with a deep cut in her side.

"I'm not useless!" Romani shouted as she swung the sword again. This time, Majora caught the blade. Romani gulped. She could not deny that she was deathly afraid. Majora yanked on the blade, making Romani stumble forward. She yanked again and the hilt slipped out of Romani's hands. The demon held the blade in one hand and the hilt in the other and smashed the flat of the blade onto her knee, intending to break it. Instead it bent around her leg.

_Good enough, _She thought. She tossed the useless pieces away as Romani lunged forward, bringing her fist around in a right hook, which Majora caught. She pulled the young girl closer and backhanded her, making Romani stumble away. After a second's recovery, Romani charged Majora. The demon clotheslined her, and Romani landed heavily on her back. She groaned as she struggled to get up.

_What have I gotten myself into?_ she thought. Romani rolled onto her stomach and tried to push herself up. Majora put her foot on Romani's back and pushed the girl back to the ground.

"Stay down, girl. You do not want me as your enemy." Romani's eyes fell on Link's body.

_I can't give up._ She began to push herself up again, struggling against Majora. _For him… I'm fighting for him!_ She gritted her teeth as she slowly rose.

"Girl, I am warning you. If you continue to fight me, you will die."

"I DON'T CARE!" Romani yelled, and she suddenly straightened her arms and got one foot under her.

"Girl-"

"SHUT UP!" Romani screamed, jumping up. She whirled around and shoved her fist up into Majora's chest cavity, and the demon doubled over. Romani launched her elbow at Majora's head, and the blow landed squarely on Majora's temple. The demon yelled and stumbled away from the girl, clutching her head. She glared at Romani, and the girl took several steps back.

"NOW YOU _DIE_, WENCH!" Majora roared, lunging at Romani. Romani dove aside, but Majora was able to grab the girl's arm. The demon pulled Romani in by the arm and backhanded her once again, but this time she stood her ground. She spat in Majora's eye and kicked the demon in the stomach, following up with a powerful uppercut that made Majora's head flip up and forced her two full steps back.

"I am no wench!" Romani shouted as she continued to pound on Majora. The demon took the beating stoically, waiting for the girl to wear herself down. Romani's blows began to get slower and less powerful. She was sweating profusely and breathing heavily. After a full 5 minutes of pounding on every inch of Majora's body, the girl finally fell to her knees, exhausted.

Majora stood over her with a seriously bloody nose, a bitten lip, and a huge headache both from the beating and how annoying this pest of a girl was. She had better things to do than fight a stupid and naïve girl like this. A low growl averted her attention from Romani, and the demon saw a Wolfos enter the clearing, eyeing the scene of the brawl hungrily. Majora smiled and sent some of her essence to the Wolfos, who's eyes went from its natural green to yellow, signifying that it now did her bidding.

"Kill them," she told the Wolfos. It barked and began prowling toward Romani as Majora shifted to her astro-form and retreated.

_These two… they get a strange power when they see each other in danger,_ Majora thought as she rose above the forest. _Where does it come from? How does it give them such strength?_

Romani watched as the Wolfos approached her. She began to slowly back away, thinking frantically. She stepped on something and she looked down. It was Link's knife. She waited for the Wolfos to pounce, then quickly dropped to the ground and grabbed the knife as the Wolfos flew over her. Before it could turn around, she plunged the knife into the Wolfos' tail, and it howled in pain. She pulled the knife from the wound and blood sprayed from the wound at an incredible rate, causing the animal to die from blood loss. She sighed in relief and walked to Link.

_Okay,_ she thought. _Heart…_ She laid her head on Link's chest, and heard a faint thumping noise. _Beating. Lungs…_ She felt Link's chest expand slightly as he took a shallow breath. _Working. He's alive. Thank goodness, he's alive._ Her eyes fell on a large burn mark on his tunic. _What is _that? she thought. She pulled the garment up from his waist and saw a nasty burn mark on his side. _Oh my gosh, what happened?_ Her eyes moved over his torso and fell on his abs. She stared for a moment then shook her head. _No time for that! I need to take care of him!_ She pulled a medical kit from her satchel and put ointment on the burn, then covered it with a bandage. After making sure he had no other serious injuries, she pulled his tunic back down to his waist and stood. _We need food, water, and a fire would be nice too_, she thought, eyeing the setting sun.

Romani walked off into the forest, gathering kindling and firewood. As she walked, she thought about what Majora had said. _"This is not what I remember mortal females acting like. They were defenseless, useless, and they screamed. A lot."_

_But I'm not like that,_ she thought. _I've saved Link's life twice now. _She smiled. _I'm not the average girl._ Romani returned to the clearing and dumped everything in her arms on the ground. She dug out a fire pit and lit a small pyramid of kindling with the flint and steel she had brought in her satchel. After it was crackling pleasantly, she threw a few extra sticks on it to keep it going. After that, she retrieved her bow and a few arrows and left the camp to hunt.

Half an hour later, she returned with two squirrels. As she entered the clearing, something fell from above her and a blinding flash erupted from it when it hit the ground. She cried out and dropped the squirrels to cover her eyes. _I can't see!_ she thought frantically. Suddenly, she heard something thud to the ground behind her. She lashed out blindly, but the attacker grabbed her arm and lifted her over their head, slamming her into the ground on the other side. She opened her eyes, and though her vision was blurry, she could make out the form of a person standing over her. By the light from the still burning fire, she saw that the person was wearing green.

"Grasshopper?" she asked weakly.

"What the… Romani?" he asked, kneeling down next to her.

"Yes," she said, sitting up. "Why are you attacking me?

"I thought… captured… Majora… stupid…" he mumbled. He shook his head and extended his hand to her. "I'm sorry." Romani took his hand and he pulled her to her feet.

"You're always so tense. You really need to take a load off," she remarked. Link sighed.

"That's what I came here to do before I got roped into all this," he said morosely. He looked back at Romani. "What are you doing here?" Romani went to build the dying fire back up.

"I… I followed you here."

"_What!_" he exclaimed angrily.

"Did I stutter?" Romani said, turning to face him.

"And what was your reason for doing so?" Link said, his brow furrowed.

"I wanted to help you," Romani replied, crossing her arms conversationally.

"Help me? What could _you_ possibly do to help me?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're a girl! You're not supposed to be fighting!" Romani felt tears sting her eyes.

"I'll have you know that I've saved your life twice now!" she said, struggling against the tears. "You'd be dead by now if it wasn't for me! _Dead,_ Link!" Link was taken aback as she suddenly burst into tears, unable to hold them back anymore. "Is that all that you think of me?" she sobbed. "Just a pretty girl who gave you a place to stay and went to the Carnival with you? Nothing more than that?"

"I… Romani-"

"I _fought_ for you, Link! I fought for you because I love you! And it's not just physical attraction either! I love _you_: your personality, your terrible jokes, your selflessness, _everything!_" She turned away from him. "All those girls in Clock Town just want you because you're a hero. You're just bragging rights to them, a prize! They want you because of your fame. She turned around to face him again, the light from the fire making the tears on her face give her a soft glow. "I want you for you," she said quietly.

Link stood there in shock. _Here she is, opening her heart to me and I'm just sitting here gaping. _Say_ something! For the love of Nayru, SAY SOMETHING!_

"I… I didn't mean it like that," he started. She laughed.

"Oh _sure_ you didn't mean it like that!" she said. "Of _course_ you didn't mean to be totally sexist and rude!"

"Listen to me!" Link said forcefully. Romani looked up at him. His eyes were sad and sincere. "All I meant was that I don't want you to be in danger. I feel the same way about you. You have these little…" He cast around for the right word. "Quirks. Like the nickname thing, the way you used to talk in the third person, the way you wiggle your ears when you smile – yes, like that! I love you Romani. I really do." She continued to stare at him. "Uh… Romani?"

"You have… really pretty eyes," she said slowly, looking into the sapphire orbs. Link smiled and scratched the back of his head.

"I get that a lot," he muttered. Both of their stomachs growled.

"Oh! The squirrels! I got squirrels!" Romani said, running back to where she dropped them and picking them up. Link reached for his knife, but found it wasn't in its sheathe.

"Darn, where's my knife?" Romani pointed next to the fire pit. Link took the squirrels from Romani and used the knife to prepare them to be cooked. When they were all skinned and cleaned, Romani produced a few long sticks, which Link whittled into two forks and a spit. They spitted the squirrels and roasted them over the fire. An hour later, the squirrels were eaten, and Link flopped onto his back with a deep sigh. Romani lay down next to him and they looked up at the stars together.

* * *

><p>"ARGH! Foiled again!" Majora raged as she touched down by the ocean. She had felt the Wolfos die through the link she had created between herself and the animal. She clenched her head in her hands, her long hair falling down around her face. The rage built up within her, growing and growing until it escaped up her throat and out her mouth in a scream that shattered the peaceful night and echoed out over the water. A Zora, who had surfaced with a large fish in his hands, looked toward the shore when he heard the demon's outcry. He quickly swam toward the shore and rushed to her side.<p>

"What is wrong?" he asked, sincerely concerned. He reached out to her, but Majora seized his wrist.

"I… am… angry," she growled, beginning to squeeze the wrist. The Zora grimaced at the pain.

"Is – ack! – is there something I can do – ow! – to help?" he said, still trying to be friendly. The hand squeezed tighter and he felt something snap. "AUGH!" he cried, falling to his knees. Majora looked down at him, as tears fell from his black eyes.

"Please!" he sobbed. "I was just trying to help! AAAUUUGH!" Majora leaned down close to him.

"I did not ask for your help, filth," she hissed. Without warning, she snapped the arm around his back, and a loud _crack _sounded, followed immediately by the Zora's renewed scream. She released his arm and grabbed him by the neck, then flung him back into the ocean. "I NEED NO ONE'S HELP!" she shouted to the waves. "I AM MAJORA! MY ENEMIES SHALL FALL BEFORE MY WRATH!" Her gaze fell on the moon. The moon she had tried to destroy the world with. "I will make them pay," she whispered. "I will make them both pay."

* * *

><p>"Your sky sure is beautiful when the moon doesn't have a creepy face," Link said. Romani nodded and looked over at him. He had removed his hat and had his arms cushioning his head. "It's also kind of weird because I don't know any of the constellations."<p>

"Would you like me to teach you?" Romani asked. He smiled at her.

"Why not?"

"Okay…" Romani searched the heavens for the constellations she knew. "You see that really bright one right in the center of the sky?" Link nodded. "That's Sutareta. It's right above the Clock Tower, so if anyone loses their way they can always get back Clock Town and find their way from there." She searched the skies once more. "Over to the East is the Blood Cloud." Romani pointed to a large cluster of red stars. "The legend behind it says that it has been there ever since Ikana Kingdom met its doom." Link suddenly sat bolt upright.

"Where's my sword?" he asked, looking around wildly. Romani winced.

"Um… I guess you could say it's… out of shape?" she said slowly. Link looked at Romani in confusion. A glint of light caught his eye and he jumped up and rushed over to it. There, he saw the Gilded Sword, the blade bent into a U-shape. He fell to his knees, looking down at the sword as though it were the funeral casket of a life-long friend.

"That sword was forged from the steel of the Kokiri Sword," he said quietly. "That was one of my only links back to my home in Hyrule." The smithy was destroyed; there was no chance for the sword to be reshaped. Link's hands clenched into fists. Romani walked up behind him and put her arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry," she said. "If I hadn't tried to protect you, it probably wouldn't be like this right now. Now you don't have a sword." Link stood up suddenly. "Grasshopper?" He closed his eyes and held his hand out in front of him. The Triforce on it began to glow and a violet haze formed around his hand. The haze formed into the shape of an ornate sword, and with a flash it materialized into a sword with black roses etched into the iridescent blade.

"Whoa…" Romani breathed. Link looked at her and smiled.

"Yeah. It's the Great Fairy Sword. I almost forgot about it." He looked back at the sword. "Majora will have a hard time breaking this." He flourished the sword, observing that he had grown enough to wield it one-handed. "Great, I can use a shield with it," he muttered to himself. "Not that that will make a difference…" The sword disappeared into another violet haze. He sighed deeply and picked up the Gilded Sword, still looking at it morosely. "Do you want to spend the night here, or go back to the ranch?"

"I'd like to spend the night with you," Romani said as she stood up. "Out here, under the stars." Link smiled at her.

"I'd like that too." They got out their bedrolls and laid them next to each other by the fire. "I just realized something," Link said as he settled into his sleeping bag. Romani looked at him. "We had our first fight." She laughed.

"I guess we did. But what's life without a little conflict?" Link agreed as he closed his eyes. The threat of the Demon Queen was absent from their minds as they lay next to each other.

Author: Yay, more romance. *sigh* Hard chapter was hard. I'm a guy, so writing Romani's emotions and junk was difficult to say the least. Thanks to Vyr-chan for her help at school! Romani's attitude towards protecting Link was actually inspired by ZeldaRubix's comment on Chapter 6, so a special nod to her as well. The only question is if the rest of you readers like it like that. O_o

I'd like to give another shout out to Kabrex and his story _Tenacity._ This story is awesome, and it is about Link's adventures after OoT, assuming that Zelda doesn't send him back in time. Great job Kab, keep up the great work!

Okay, so like I said at the top, I'm rewriting Majora's backstory, and your reviews will decide the fate of the MajoraXFierce Deity pairing. Just mention something in your reviews (or PMs if you're that kind of person (I'm looking at you Tom. You know who you are ;D)) The new chapter 7 will be up in the next update, so be sure to check it out.

Se onr sverdar sitja hvass. ;D


	12. A Visit from the Goddess of Courage

**Author: Okay, Chapter 7 is a lot shorter, as I removed the backstory with Kai entirely and put the rewritten version into the next chapter, where it makes more sense for Majora to be thinking about him. **

**Meant to upload 13 with this one, but I'm having a little trouble with it. It could be up tomorrow or next week, I have no idea. I just posted this one because I felt it could stand alone. It's short, but sweet. No, really, it's sweet. The first part of this chapter moves the plot forward (and hints at my little plot twist I have planned :D), the second part is just a little fluff that develops Link and Romani's relationship a little more (hence the sweetness). I think you will enjoy it ;)**

**Inspirations: The ending of OoT, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows**

?

I stood in the sky with nothing under my feet. I looked around at the clouds that passed by me, wondering where I was. A gentle female voice called to me.

"You have done well, hero," it said. "Majora is no easy foe. I am proud to have chosen you as the bearer of my Courage." I realized that the voice was that of Farore, and dropped to one knee.

"My goddess," I said. "I am honored to be in your presence." Farore laughed, and I heard soft footsteps. I looked up slightly to see the legs of a person walking towards me. I quickly lowered my gaze again. She stopped in front of me.

"Rise, Link. You need not be so reverent," she said. Slowly, I stood and looked at her. She wore a dark green dress and gave off a gentle green glow. Her golden hair reached down to the base of her neck and lay across her forehead in a left part. Her emerald eyes looked at me intently. She smiled. "That's much better. Now I don't feel like I'm talking down to you." I was still taking in her appearance. She was not drop-dead gorgeous as most people make her and the other two goddesses out to be. She was not unattractive, but she looked like a regular sixteen year-old girl. I opened my mouth to ask her what she wished of me, but a voice came from behind me before I could speak.

"Well well, if it isn't Farore! It has been too long." I turned to see the Fierce Deity walking to us. Farore's face hardened.

"Hello, Kai," she said. "I see your prison has weakened enough to let your spirit enter Link's mind without him wearing your mask." The Fierce Deity, apparently known as Kai, smirked.

"Indeed." He put a large gauntlet-clad hand on my head and ruffled my hair. "He's a strong one though. He is able to resist my influence. You chose well in him." I pushed his arm off me forcefully and stepped away from him. He looked down at me with a slightly confused expression. "What's with you?"

"I don't trust you," I replied coldly. His brow furrowed.

"Don't you dare take that tone with me, boy," he said angrily. Farore cleared her throat.

"If you don't mind, Kai, Link and I were talking-"

"About killing Majora?" he interrupted. "Then you'll want me here. We both know that you and your sisters could not have sealed her without my help." Farore's eyes narrowed at Kai.

"Your arrogance has not been tempered at all by the passing of time," she said. "Nonetheless, you are correct. You were instrumental in our battle with Majora, and Link's as well. You may remain." Kai gave her a shallow bow and crossed his arms.

"So," he said. "Majora."

"Yes, Majora," Farore said, sighing softly. It was clear she did not like the fact that the Fierce Deity was with us. "Link, you have remembered the blade the Great Fairy of Ikana gave you." I nodded. "That weapon will be vital to Majora's defeat. Her rage has caused her power to regenerate rapidly, and I think that that blade will be the only thing that can harm her, aside from the Master Sword."

"And my own Helix Sword," Kai added. Farore shot him a look.

"Yes. Your Helix Sword as well." She looked back at me. "The Great Fairy's Sword is essentially the Master Sword of Termina. It has a sacred power that repels evil. But both the Master Sword and the Great Fairy's Sword have a power that you know naught of."

"What is this power?" I asked.

"They have the ability to channel the power of the Triforce into their wielder," Farore stated.

"Whoa," I breathed. "That's… incredible."

"It is indeed," Kai said. "But…"

"But what?" Farore said, turning to face him.

"But it still won't be enough," Kai said, smirking. "If memory serves, I severely weakened Majora before you three showed up. Your combined powers only vanquished her because she was about as powerful as she is right now. As we speak, Majora's power continues to replenish. In just a few days, she may be able to regain her true form. If that comes to pass…"

"We will have no chance," Farore finished, blanching.

"And meanwhile, this fool," Kai gestured at me, "is getting lovey-dovey with the ranch girl." I turned red and became very intent on a nonexistent itch on the back of my head. Farore smiled at me.

"I am aware of this." Kai looked at her.

"And you approve of him becoming sidetracked by-"

"As far as I know, Link has never become distracted by Romani in the midst of battle. In fact, his feelings for her inspire him to greater feats. He did not need you in their last skirmish."

"I almost died though," I pointed out. The Fierce Deity gestured at me again then crossed his arms, giving the goddess a_ See what I mean_ look.

"True," Farore said, "but you did not."

"Only because the girl came to his rescue!" Kai protested.

"Exactly! They protect each other. Their love for each other gives them the strength to fight against a power much greater than their own." Farore smiled at me. "I am happy for you." I turn red again and bow slightly. "Nayru will come along later and teach you how to summon the Triforce's power through your blade."

"Nayru?" Kai asked, suddenly looking very interested. "I sensed her aura in Clock Town." He smirked. "And if anyone knows Nayru's aura, it's me." Farore lunged forward and slapped him hard across the face.

"Silence," she hissed. "You have a lot of nerve bringing that up." Kai continued to smirk as he looked down at the Goddess of Courage.

"My my, we _are _sensitive, aren't we!" he crooned. Farore's glow intensified suddenly.

"Is that all, my lady?" I asked, sensing conflict and wanting to extricate myself. Farore breathed deeply again and her glow went down.

"Yes, Link," she said calmly. "That is all."

"Wait just a minute," Kai said. "I didn't hear anything about me." Farore glared at him.

"Your involvement is being suppressed as much as possible. You are the most untrustworthy being I have ever known. The point of this is to kill Majora before she regains full power so that _you_ don't destroy half of Termina with your battle. Unlike you, Link has a measure of self-control." Kai bared his teeth and clenched his hands into fists.

"Care to say that last part again?" he said angrily. Farore's gaze did not waver as she looked up at him defiantly, her glow intensifying again. I took a nervous step back.

"How do I leave this place, my lady?" I asked, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire of any battle between these two. Farore shook her head and turned her gaze from Kai to me.

"It's simple," she said, smiling. "Just wake up."

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><p>My eyes opened slowly to see a mid-morning sky through the treetops. I became aware of a weight on my chest and looked down to see that Romani had snuggled up to me and used me as a pillow. I smiled and gently ran my hand through her hair. My index finger tugged lightly on a tangle, and she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open she looked up at me. A smile spread across her face.<p>

"Morning, Hero Boy," she said sleepily.

"Howdy, cowgirl." She laughed and pushed me onto my side. We began to playfully wrestle, rolling back and forth across the clearing in the process. We finally came to a stop near the fire pit. Romani was on top of me, her hands on my shoulders and her face very close to mine. I looked into her dark blue eyes, seeing myself reflected in them. "You know," I said, "you have really pretty eyes too." She blinked them.

"You think so?" she asked quietly, her head lowering a little.

"Yeah," I said, raising my head from the ground. "Really pretty." Our lips met and the clearing melted away from reality. The only things that existed in the entire world at that moment were Romani and me. Nothing mattered except this girl that I loved as we lay on the ground, locked in each other's embrace as we kissed. It was blissful oblivion. I've never been completely sure how long it lasted, whether it was just a few seconds or a couple minutes.

Romani eventually pulled away, looking breathless. For a moment we just gazed at each other.

"Still 'feeeeeble?'" I asked eventually.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "That was… incredible."

_Yeah...,_ I thought, brushing a stray lock of hair out of my eye. _It really was._

"So... I guess maybe we're at that stage now," I said slowly.

"I guess you are!" said a voice. Romani and I jumped and looked in the direction the voice had come from. A purple orb of light floated about ten yards away.

"Hi, Tael," I said as Romani and I quickly disengaged ourselves. "How, uh… How long have you been there?" The fairy laughed.

"Long enough," he said. "You two really got into it." He laughed again as we both turned red.

_How many times have I blushed while I've been here!_ I thought.

"Where were you last night?" I asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know." I sighed, knowing from experience that if fairies didn't tell you something the first time you asked, you would probably never get an answer. I turned to Romani.

"So, uh... What do you want to do now?" I asked.

"I have to go get brutally murdered by Cremia." I cocked an eyebrow at her. "Well, I didn't really ask if I could go after you, so…" I laughed at that.

"Do you want me to come with you?" I asked. "I can explain to her that it's my fault because I'm so irresistible."

"Oh, shut up Mister Ego!" Romani laughed, punching my shoulder.

"This is absolutely adorable," Tael remarked.

"Shut up," Romani and I said simultaneously. Tael laughed again and flew to my shoulder, where he made himself comfortable.

"So, do you want me to come back to the ranch with you?" I asked Romani.

"If you want to. I don't know if you'll survive if you do," she added with a smile. I laughed and pulled out the Ocarina of Time.

"I'll try to take as much of the blame as possible," I promised. Romani took my arm as I raised the Ocarina to my mouth.

"You know," she said, frowning, "sometimes I feel like our relationship has been written by some fifteen year-old hopeless romantic." I cocked an eyebrow at her again. "Meh. Let's just go." I raised the Ocarina to my mouth and played the Song of Soaring. The Soaring Winds picked us up and bore us towards the Owl Statue near Romani Ranch.

**Author: Wow. I'm a sap. A complete and total sap. Seriously, hours were spent on that kissing scene until I felt it was good enough. I took out most of the stuff I felt was too corny, which I'm very glad I did, because I'm kind of starting to forget this is supposed to be an action/adventure as well. I don't know if you could tell, but I couldn't think up a good reason excuse for having forgotten to put Tael into the previous chapter. I'm trying to focus on character development and the backstory of Majora and Kai before I get to the climax. It will be climactic. Indeed. Yes. **

**USELESS RANDOM LINE OF RANDOMNESS! WOOOOHAAAA!**

**Ahem.**

**By the way, the description of Link's feelings as he kisses Romani was kind of inspired by the kiss in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows between Harry and Ginny.**

**Another "by the way": I will not be going in-depth into what happened with Kai and Nayru. Let's just say that they had a little thing going, and Kai started getting a little aggressive. I just don't feel it would be appropriate to write that particular scene out. If you know what I mean.**

**PLEASE REVIEW, particularly if you add this story to your favorites. It's hellabad in the beginning, I want to why you kept reading.**

**For those of you who have reviewed and told me what you thought, thank you.**


	13. Betrayal

_**Author: Finally, an update to this story after all this time! I've been working on my other story, an OoT novelization called Hero of Time. If you like my writing, go check it out and tell me what you think!**_

_**So anyway, this chapter is almost entirely backstory for Romani, Majora, and Kai. Mostly Majora and Kai though. It also includes some backstory of Ikana Kingdom and Stone Tower. EVERYTHING I SAY ABOUT THE STATUES OF STONE TOWER IS IN THE GAME! I AM NOT MAKING ANY OF IT UP BESIDES THE STORY ITSELF! If you don't believe me, go dust off your copy of the game and go to Stone Tower. You'll see it all. Most of the story I tell about Stone Tower is inspired from the article "The Message of Majora's Mask" on ZeldaUniverse, as I have said before. It is all purely speculation and has not been confirmed by Nintendo as far as I know, but it makes a lot of sense. If you read the article, you'll understand why. One more thing: In this chapter, I use the term "bluewarp." If you can't figure it out on your own, this refers to the blue portals that always appear after Link beats a boss. It's the term used on ZeldaSpeedRuns, and it's kind of stuck for me. I mean, they're blue. And they warp you. Blue. Warp. Bluewarp. There you go.**_

_**By the way, I'm writing the gods and demons like the Greeks did. They have affairs and stuff.**_

_**So, here we go. I'll be alternating between this story and Hero of Time from now on until this one is finished.**_

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><p><em><em>MILK ROAD

_That little bastard,_ I thought as I watched Link, Romani, and the purple fairy that used to hang around with that Stalkid appear from a sphere of swirling wind. I watched as Romani laughed at something Link said as they started walking down Milk Road towards the ranch. I moved out from my hiding spot behind the corner leading to Gorman Ranch and followed a fair distance behind them. The wind picked up and blew their conversation towards me.

"Well, I don't really know, but I think the ranch was named after me," Romani was saying. "See, I was born on the day Dad opened the ranch and…" She suddenly stopped talking and looked down at her boots, causing Link to look at her with concern. "Well… My mother died giving birth to me," she said, looking back at him. "The only thing I know of her is what Cremia can tell me and a few old pictographs." She looked straight ahead as they reached the place where the Stalkid had dropped the boulder to block the ranch. "After Mom died, Dad got really depressed. When I was three, he started drinking a lot of Chateau." Romani's voice was now quivering, as though she was holding back tears.

"Look," said Link, "if you don't want to talk about this-"

"No, it's okay," she interrupted. "One night, when I was six, he drank too much. He went to bed that night, and he… well, he never woke up. I was the one who found him." At this point, I guessed that Romani had started crying, because they stopped and Link put his arm around her. They stood there for a while, and I crept closer, as the wind was dying down. "After his death, Cremia took over management of the ranch and my upbringing. She tries so hard…" Romani now seemed to be speaking more to herself than to Link. "I… I should really be better to her. I mean, sneaking out like this, not leaving a note, being gone overnight… I must be making her worry so much."

"Hey, I told you I would take the blame, right?" Link said, taking her into his arms. She put her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder. I was surprised by their actions.

_It's like they're an item…_ I thought. Suddenly, Romani pulled her head out of his shoulder and pressed her lips to his. My eyes widened. _They _are! _That's it! That's where they get their power from! They're in love!_ I backed away slowly, my hands clutched to my head, trying to repress the memories. _No! Don't think about him! Don't!_ I turned and ran, my eyes closed tight and the memories flashing on my eyelids. I tripped over something and sprawled to the ground, scraping my leg on a jagged rock sticking out from the gravel. I jumped up and teleported, wanting to get away from them, away from the memories of _him._ I didn't think about where I was going; I just wanted to get _away._

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><p>I materialized in a place that was cold even in mid-morning. The ground under my feet was dusty, and I could sense malevolent spirits in the air. I opened my eyes and looked around. I was in the Kingdom of Ikana. In front of me was the entrance to Stone Tower, a statue of a giant nude man with his tongue sticking out and extending to the ground. Behind me, the Music Box House played the Farewell to Gibdos loudly, and to my right was the outer wall of Castle Ikana. I looked back at the entrance to Stone Tower. My prison. Perhaps… perhaps the memories of my imprisonment would distract me from my thoughts of <em>him<em>. I walked up the statue's tongue into Stone Tower.

Below me, the tower extended down into the abyss. Above me, it led up to the giant monument shaped in the form of one of the Guardians. I shifted to my astro-form and began flying up the tower. I stopped next to one of the floating blocks that the Ikanans used as paths to different sides of the tower. The blocks were similar to the statue that led to this place. They depicted nude men sticking abnormally long tongues out of their mouths. I noticed that the tongues did not terminate at the bottom of the front panel and continued down to the bottom face. Intrigued, I lowered myself slightly and looked at the bottom panel. What I saw made me laugh. The tongues of the statues ended on their naked anuses, and on the tip of each tongue was the Triforce.

_Those Ikanans,_ I thought shaking my head and grinning. _This must be why I liked them so much. Their hatred for those three bitches. _I shook my head again and moved upward, remembering the building of this tower. It was an attempt by the Ikanans to reach the heavens and lay siege to the Hylian goddesses using the Giant's Mask. However, the goddesses inverted the tower, causing the earth to be the heavens and the heavens to be the earth. The people continued building upward, but instead of building to heaven, they built to hell, where my mask was sealed away. They found me and built towering stone monuments to me around the pedestal where my mask rested. They brought me back with them to their world and converted Stone Tower to a temple in my honor, building a stone monolith in the form of my mask.

I reached the top of Stone Tower and looked behind the entrance of the temple at the pillars behind it. There were four of them, one for each guardian. Erosion of the structures over time had slightly altered their shape, but they still looked distinctly phallic. That was about the only thing I hated about the Ikanans: their support for male dominance. That was, in fact, why they sought conflict with the Hylian goddesses. They believed that their Guardians were superior to the goddesses because the Guardians were males. They wanted to destroy the goddesses to prove the power of their Guardians was greater than that of the goddesses.

I flew to the entrance of the temple and shifted out of my astro-form to land. The entrance was, once again, through the statue's mouth. Emerging in the main room, I looked at the monolith. It had been built while the tower was still inverted, and as a result, part of the bottom, what was now the top, had fallen away into the sky. I proceeded further into the temple, heading for the room that had the portal in it.

The huge door was still unlocked from when the boy had been in Termina last. It opened at my approach, and closed itself behind me once I was in the room. In front of me was the large hexagonal hole with the portal in it. It was colored light brown, and rings expanded from the center like ripples in a pool of water. I walked up to the edge, still looking down into the portal.

_Am I sure I want to go back down there?_ I thought. _That was my prison. _I shook my head. _This is stupid. I don't know if the bluewarp is still there to get me out. I should go. _I continued to stare down into the portal, even though I wanted to leave. _Maybe… maybe I should just go down there and stay forever. No revenge, no green-clad pests, no love…_ And as I thought the word love, the memories returned, forcing themselves on my mind stronger than ever before. I screamed and clutched my head, falling forwards into the portal.

"NO!" I screamed, watching helplessly as the portal rushed up to meet me. I passed through it and into a void the same shade of brown as the portal. "No! No, no, NO!" I screamed, for some reason thinking that denying it would make it stop. But it was useless. The portal spat me out onto the pedestal in the center of the wasteland that was Termina's hell. I looked to the sky, fear instantly flooding my mind. I looked around the sands, searching for something, anything that would get me out of this place, this prison. Nothing besides the monuments remained. "No…" I whispered. Tears filled my eyes and I closed them, succumbing to the memories I had kept locked away for so long.

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><p>Kai, the Fierce Deity. The Deities were neither Demon nor God, and as such they were free to come and go as they please. Simple beings of power, sometimes known as minor gods. Kai, as his title implies, is quick to anger and is well known for his warmongering. He came to me one day when I was still a young and naïve queen, and he seduced me. I started to open up to him and tell him of my troubles, my worries and eventually my feelings for him. And he listened. He comforted me, told me that he would always be by my side. And when the Hylian Goddesses declared war upon me, he did just that. At least, until the second year of the war. The day the Goddesses decided to come to the battlefield and fight with their army against mine. I sent Kai out to lead my army, and on the battlefield, he saw her. Nayru, the Hylian Goddess of Wisdom.<p>

Not long after that, he came to me with news that the Goddesses had surrendered and wished to meet with me to discuss a treaty. I suspected nothing. I was a fool. When Kai escorted them into my palace, they did not come with treatise in mind. They came to bring about my downfall. Kai escorted them into the throne room and came to me. He greeted me, as he always did, by taking me in his arms and kissing me. I thought his embrace was so strong because he had missed me on his trip to the Haven where the Hylian Goddesses resided. However, he did not let me go. He turned me around and held me in a vice-like grip. The Goddesses produced swords of golden light and rushed me. Anger filled me; anger at myself for falling for such an obvious trap, anger at the Goddesses for tricking me like this, and most of all, anger at Kai for betraying me. I somehow broke Kai's grip and began to fight, letting my rage guide my hand as I fought Kai, Din, Nayru, and Farore all at once. The Goddesses fell easily, but Kai was more experienced in battle than me. I didn't even last ten minutes against him.

The Goddesses, too weak to kill me, instead sealed me inside a pure white, heart-shaped mask they had brought with them as a "peace offering." It was carved of spiritwood, which as the name implies has the ability to hold spirits. My spirit turned the mask purple and made it sprout spikes around the sides. From within my new prison, I watched as Nayru ran to Kai and leaped into his arms, and he pressed her lips to hers. But, weakened as I was, I could not act on the rage that filled me as I watched them. He betrayed me. That fucking bastard had betrayed me and left me for some pansy. The only thoughts I had as they sealed me in Termina's hell were of revenge, revenge on Kai and the Hylian Goddesses. As they left, I worked up the energy to speak through the mask.

"I will kill you," I said. "Mark my words, I will escape and I will hunt you all down. You will all pay." Kai laughed as he left with the Goddesses. I was alone.

* * *

><p>I pulled myself out of my reverie, finding myself in the fetal position on the cold stone pedestal. My cheeks were soaked with the tears still running from my eyes. I realized that I was exactly as I was when I had ripped myself from my memories: Alone in a prison with no escape. The bluewarp was something the Hylian Goddesses had invented that only they knew how to use, and the only way out of here was by bluewarp. I was trapped. And once again, it was Kai's fault. For hours I lay there, trying to drown myself with my tears to no avail. I wanted to die. I had no motivation to get out and take my revenge anymore. Reliving the events that led to my imprisonment had broken me, made me realize that there were some things that <em>were<em> impossible. Then I remembered something. _The Ikanans._ There was no way the Goddesses would have created a bluewarp for the Ikanans to escape from here. How had they gotten out?

I jumped to my feet, suddenly invigorated. The Ikanans had gotten out without the use of a bluewarp. So could I. I tried to remember which way the Ikanans had walked when they were looking for a way out. _Let's see… I think… Oh, that's right! One of the monuments collapsed as they were leaving!_ I looked around frantically, trying to find the remains of the fallen pillar. _Come on, come on!_ Then, I saw it. I quickly ran towards it. _Okay, which way do I go from here?_ I thought as I reached it. I looked into my memory again.

"_It is a sign from the Great Ones!" bellowed the Ikanan King triumphantly. "We march this way!" They began walking in the direction the pillar was pointing._

"This way," I said aloud, turning and running in the same direction. "This is the way to the exit." I grinned. "I can get out of here. I can do it." I laughed to the sky. "MAJORA'S BACK, BABY!"

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><p><em><strong>Author: And a cheesy ending brings this chapter to a close. We'll pick up with Majora again as soon as I can think up how the hell she gets out of… hell… Whatever<strong>_

_**Thanks to Vyren Rolar for proofreading this chapter and making sure everything made sense. Things do tend to sound better in your head than they do on paper. Or internet data. Or whatever. Idk.**_

_**See you all next chapter!**_


	14. A Hero's Sadness

_**Okay, I lied. My muse fluctuates, and right now, I'm musing Majora's Revenge, so that's what I'm writing. **_

_**This short chapter is for Vyr-chan (Vyren Rolar), who has been begging me for more romance. This isn't exactly fluff, but I think it still qualifies, and plus, it's a plot point I've been planning for a while. Here you go!**_

_**ANGST AHEAD.**_

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><p>ROMANI RANCH<p>

"Out! GET OUT!" Cremia screeched, seizing my collar and shoving me out the door of the ranch house. I stumbled and fell to the ground, turning to see Cremia looking down at me with blazing blue eyes. "Until you both _grow up_ a bit," she looked between me, on the ground outside, and Romani, standing by the table with tears running down her cheeks, "I will not allow you to see each other!" I stood up at this.

"That's not fair!" I yelled. "You-"

"I got news for you, kid. _Life_ isn't fair! Now get your ass off my ranch before I get Mamamu-Yan to sic her dogs on you!"

"Cremia!" Romani said, looking shocked. Cremia rounded on her.

"And don't think I'm finished with you either!" she yelled. "You're in hot water now, Romani. Oh boy, are you _ever_ in hot water! You go upstairs now! And YOU!" she shouted, turning to me again. "Why the _hell_ are you still here?!" I gritted my teeth as I stood and turned to walk away. Behind me, the door slammed, making the windows of the house rattle.

_Well,_ I thought, _that went well._ Romani and I had come back from Snowhead Mountain expecting an earful and a long afternoon of chores. Instead, we got screamed at (in pitches one normally does not hear outside of opera, I might add), and I got kicked out and was forbidden to see Romani anymore. I was heavily restraining myself from kicking down the door and running Cremia through. I normally refrained from such unnecessary violence, but I was so pissed then, I didn't give a shit about the consequences.

The sun reached its zenith as I passed underneath the gate that proclaimed to the world that the land behind me was Romani Ranch. I sat myself down on a nearby rock and put my head in my hands, succumbing to my anger and sadness. I felt my eyes water, and then my body started to shake with silent sobs. Alone on the rock, I let my tears fall as images of Romani flashed on my eyelids. The images slowly condensed into a single picture of her. Her red hair flying on the wind, her right hand over her chest and her dark blue eyes gazing sadly at me. She was so beautiful…

I struggled to keep the image for as long as I could, trying to fix it in my memory. When my tears eventually faded away, I opened my eyes and looked around, not knowing what I was looking for. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. Raising it to my lips, I began to play, my fingers plugging and unplugging the holes. I wasn't playing anything in particular, I was just playing, and the result of my improvisation was a mournful melody that did not make me feel any better.

Frustrated, I played Epona's Song and shoved the Ocarina back in my pocket. Thirty seconds later, I heard a whinny as Epona approached. I stood from the rock and walked to her, hoping that a nice ride would help me to calm down. After climbing into the saddle, I nudged Epona's flank with my heels and turned her around, heading down Milk Road and out into Termina Field. Thrice I rode around Clock Town, but I felt no better for it. Whenever I closed my eyes, that image of Romani met me, and I felt a pain in my chest. I knew it was heartache.

_Goddesses, I didn't know I would miss her this much…_ I thought as I stopped Epona outside South Clock Town. _Damn it, why couldn't I have figured this out back in Hyrule? Then I could've been with Malon. Talon is so much more relaxed than Cremia._ My thoughts turned to Malon as I entered town. She looked just like Romani, after all. And, she was in my homeland to boot. Maybe I could just leave Termina, let it be destroyed by Majora. And then I could be with Malon…

_But then,_ I thought, turning into East Clock Town, _I don't think Malon would be the same as Romani. They're the same in physical appearance, but they're two entirely different people. What if… What if Malon didn't love me back like Romani does? _I shook my head. _No, I could never settle for Malon. She's not the same, and I would feel like I was just replacing Romani. I'd feel terrible for that._

A sigh broke my train of thought, and I looked around to see a small group of girls looking longingly at me. Several of them were whispering, and for some reason, I strained my ears to hear them.

"That ranch girl isn't with him this time."

"Do you think they had a fight?"

"Maybe they broke up!"

"He looks sad enough for that to be the case…"

"Oh my gosh, he's looking at me!"

"No you idiot, he's looking at _me!"_

Fed up with the gossip, I called, "Have you finished yet?" They all jumped at the sound of my voice and stared at me. I realized that the words had come out much angrier than I meant them too. I opened my mouth to apologize, but they were already leaving, most looking back at me with resentment, but a few still with longing. I sighed.

_Women,_ I thought. _The ultimate mystery of the universe…_

A door opened to my right, and I saw Honey and Darling entering their shop, holding hands and flirting frivolously even as they went to work. Envy filled me. How could they be happily in love when I, the goddamned Hero of Time, couldn't be with the girl that I loved?

_If anyone has a right to be happy, it's _me! I thought angrily. _I'm the one who saved this stupidworld AND Hyrule to boot! Why the hell can't I just like a girl without it blowing up in my face?!_ My feet took me up the stairs and on top of the Milk Bar, where I climbed onto the fence and sat on it. This was where I had waited for the moon on the last 3-day cycle before facing Majora's Mask.

_Majora._ That bitch. If not for her, I would still be with Romani. I would have enjoyed the Carnival of Time and actually been on vacation. But no, she just had to go and ruin everything. My vacation, my sword… my love-life…

I felt my eyes sting again as my thoughts cycled back to Romani. That image arose once again, and I held it this time.

_How about… Grasshopper? That's the name Romani gives you!_

_Hi there! You're cute!_

_I want you for you._

"Hey there, Hero Boy." I let out a yell and almost fell off the fence when the loud voice broke my train of thought. I turned around to see the rich girl from the Carnival walking towards me. I sighed and turned back around.

"Hi," I muttered, not really wanting to talk her in this state of mind.

"Where's your girlfriend?" she asked, climbing onto the fence and scooching up right next to me. I gritted my teeth at her nerve.

"She's… back at the ranch," I said eventually.

_If she tries to make much more casual talk, I think I'm going to flip, _I thought.

"Oh," she said happily. "Rumor is you two broke up."

"And why the hell is that any of your goddamn business?!" I said angrily, turning to face her. She looked shocked at my reaction.

"Geez, kid. Calm down."

"I will not 'calm down!'" I yelled. "It's none of your goddamn business, so why don't you just _drop it!_"

"HEY!" came a shout from below. I looked down to see Mr. Barten glaring up at us. "Keep it down, some of us have work to do!"

"Sorry, sir," I said.

"Besides, shouldn't you be, I dunno, saving the world?"

"Oh, go to hell," I muttered as he entered the Milk Bar again.

"Now that wasn't very nice," said the rich girl, looking at me reproachfully.

"No, you know what isn't nice?" I said, frustrated again. "Talking to a guy who wants to be left alone. So why don't you just piss of?"

"How dare you?!" she said.

"Oh, I dare," I said, climbing off the fence. "I'll dare quite a bit more if you don't leave me the hell alone." The girl looked at me quizzically.

"Do you know who you're talking to?" she asked me.

"No, and frankly, I don't give a damn. Piss off."

She dismounted from the fence and stood herself right in front of me. Then, she started to glow.

_What the hell?!_ I thought. She grew brighter and brighter, and then suddenly, the light went out. Before me stood a girl in a pink dress with the Hylian crest on it. Golden hair fell down her back, ending at her navel. She opened her cerulean eyes and looked at me.

_Goddesses save me,_ I thought. _I just told Princess Zelda to piss off!_

I immediately bowed and stammered apologies. Zelda laughed.

"Get up, Link. You didn't know it was me, I forgive you." I stood up, still beet red.

"Princess, what are you doing here?"

"I followed you."

"Let me rephrase the question. Princess, what are you doing here?" She laughed again.

"Well, sometimes Princesses want vacations too, Link." She stepped closer to me. "And do you know what Princesses want while they're on vacation, Link?" I took a step back, remaking the original distance between us.

"No idea. Look, you need to get home. King Torren is probably worried sick-" Zelda took another step forward and placed her finger on my lips.

"My father can deal." She took another step towards me. "Would you like me to tell you what princesses like on vacations, Link?"

I took her finger off my lips and took two steps back. "No," I said. "No, I think I can guess." Zelda brightened.

"Well, since you broke up with her and you know what I want, then…" She ran up to me and kissed me. I immediately recoiled, trying to push her off me, but she wouldn't get off. I could feel her trying to pry open my mouth with her tongue and sucking on my mouth like a leech. I pushed and pushed, but she just wouldn't give. And then…

"_WHAT THE HELL?!" _The scream broke Zelda away from me and we both turned to see Romani standing at the top of the stairs leading to the top of the Milk Bar. Tears filled her eyes, and she turned and ran down the staircase.

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><p><em><strong>Author: Aaaand I'll just leave you right there. XD I am soooooo evil! Double bombshell, and CLIFFHANGER! OH YEAH!<strong>_

_**Ahem. Calm down Norkix, you're making people feel bad.**_

_**So yeah, I am evil blahbleeblooblahblah and I'll upload again in like a week or so. Leave a review telling me exactly how evil I am and I will send you a… well, Im fresh out of cookies, so I'll give you a goofy PM response.**_

_**See you all next chapter!**_


	15. Little Talks

_**Okay, a couple notes about this chapter. It appears a few people are confused as to why Zelda is in Termina. I don't see how this is possible, but I think one of Zelda's lines will clarify this. Another thing about Zelda: she is about a year and a half older than Link in this story (in OoT, if you look closely, Zelda is a couple inches taller than Link and who in their right mind would make a 10 year old wear high-heeled shoes?), which makes her a few months into her fourteenth year. This is half the reason she came onto Link so quickly in the last chapter, the other is brought up in the chapter. Because I'm talking about age and a few people have been wondering, Link turned 13 a few weeks before departing for Termina and Romani turned 13 very recently, three days before Link arrived in Termina. **_

_**Check out "A Final Tale" by Metalshadown64. It's pretty good, and shaping up to be pretty cool. Also, check out "Celia, Ganondorf's Assassin" by Twilight Cuccoo. It's also pretty good. And oh my GOD stop reading this right now and look up Acheronta Movebo by Tiger7210! It is easily one of THE BEST fanfics I have EVER READ! ZeldaRubix, you officially have competition.**_

_**I had so much musical inspiration for this chapter, I can't even try to list all of them. I'll list the best of the best. "It's Been a While" by Stain'd (swear word warning), "Jars" by Chevelle (Man, when HAVEN'T I absolutely loved this song and this band?), and "Broken" by Seether (featuring Amy Lee). I don't know why I listened to these particular songs when writing a chapter like this one, but I did and they worked.**_

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><p>EAST CLOCK TOWN<p>

"Romani!" I called running after her. "Romani, wait! It's-" I caught myself. I had almost said that classic line, _It's not what it looks like._ "Romani, please!" She stopped, but she didn't turn around to look at me. Behind me, I heard Zelda's footsteps following me down the stairs. I approached Romani. "Romani, I-" I was interrupted as she whirled around and swung her fist at me, smashing it into my face. I stumbled back from the force of it. Letting out a yell, she tackled me to the ground, and my head slammed hard into the cobblestones, dazing me. Romani didn't give me a chance to recover; she raised her fist again and punched me again. And again.

"YOU! SON! OF! A! BITCH!" she screamed, emphasizing each word with a blow. She collapsed onto my chest, sobs now wracking her body. "I sneak out _again,_ come here looking for you and…" The rest of her words are lost in sobs as she weakly pounds her fist against me.

"Um…" said Zelda, "I thought you two had broken up, so…" Romani immediately bolted up and punched me again, making my lip bleed.

"You told her we broke up?!" she yelled. By now, a large crowd had gathered. People were pointing at Zelda, and I could tell they were wondering who she was. No one in Termina had clothes quite like hers, and there was the matter of the tiara perched on her head.

"I didn't tell her anything," I said. "She just… kissed me." Romani stood up and walked over to Zelda.

"That better be true," she growled, thrusting her face in Zelda's.

_Geez…_ I thought as I stood up, _she's angrier than Cremia was… if that's even possible…_

Zelda shrugged. "Yeah," she said, "that's true." She grinned. "I couldn't help it. I'm horny for the hero!" I slapped my palm against my face as Romani bristled.

_I can't believe she just said that…_ I thought, pulling my hand down my face. My fingers felt something strange as they crossed my chin. Intrigued, I stroked it again. My eyes widened as a grin spread over my face. _Stubble! Dear gods, I have stubble!_

Shaking my head, I looked back at Romani. She looked like she was ready to pound Zelda to a pulp. Half of me wanted her to for kissing me like that, but another part reminded me that she was my princess, and I couldn't let harm come to her in a foreign land. I stepped between them.

"Romani," I said, eyeing the crowd, "can we take this somewhere else, please?" I really didn't like having my personal affairs being made public. I could tell most people were of the same opinion as Barten: I should be out hunting down a demon, not here having girls fight over me. Romani looked up at me. Her hurt was clearly displayed in her dark blue eyes. She ran a hand through her hair and turned away.

"Sure…" she muttered. She turned back around. "But don't think you're getting out of talking about this. I won't have you running off with every…" She looked past me at Zelda, as if trying to find the right word to describe her. "Every… bimbo you see in the streets." I couldn't help myself; I burst out laughing at her word choice.

"No," I said. "No you can't have that." I turned to Zelda. "Come, we're going to have to have a talk about this whole thing." As Zelda walked over to me, a man stepped forward out of the crowd.

"Hey dumbass," he said, addressing me, "doesn't you gots a demon to kill?" I sighed and turned to face him.

"Yes," I said. "Yes, I do."

"So," he said, "why doncha go and kill it?"

"She disappeared," I stated. "Don't know where she went, and I'm not going to search all over Termina for her. I figure she'll come to me eventually." I furrowed my brow. "Although, if that's your attitude, I could just leave you all here to deal with her yourselves. I'm sure a strapping man like yourself could handle a demon of incredible power with ease." The man, who was by no means strapping, opened and closed his mouth repeatedly as he flushed.

"Y-yeah? Yeah! I bet I could!" His face immediately showed that he was thinking _did I really just say that?_He sank back into the crowd, and I led Romani and Zelda to the Stock Pot Inn.

Romani came in last, slamming the door shut behind her with a loud, solid _kathunk._ The noise made Anju look up from the desk, and she looked at us. She took in Zelda, who looked very happy as she stared at the back of my head, Romani, who was looking at Zelda with an extraordinarily dark expression, and myself, looking exasperated and having the beginnings of a black eye. She raised her eyebrows.

"Long story," I said. "We just need a place to sit down and talk." Anju nodded slowly and pretended to clean up the desk a little to hide the fact that she was rolling her eyes.

"You can use Granny's room," said Anju. "She's out shopping with Mother right now, so it's empty and quiet." I thanked her and led Romani and Zelda down the hall into the room, holding the door for them both before closing it quietly behind me. Just before it closed, I could hear Anju muttering something about stupid teenagers.

"Right," I said, turning around. "So…" I had no idea what to say. I continued to try and start a sentence, but the girls weren't paying much attention anyway. Zelda was clearly having some kind of daydream (I didn't even want to think about what could possibly be happening in it) and Romani was practically steaming as she glared at Zelda. After uttering my fifth "Uh," the door opened behind me and Anju poked her head in.

"Link," she said, "I still have some waffles left over from this morning." Romani's attention snapped to me as I slowly turned to face Anju.

"Waffles…" I murmured. My mouth was already watering at the prospect of having such heavenly sustenance. Behind me, Romani raised her hand and slammed her palm into her face. I ignored this. "Anju, I would absolutely love to have some waffles. Thank you very, very much!" She shut the door and went to get me a plate of waffles.

"Grasshopper," said Romani, "why would you-" She was cut off as Zelda erupted into laughter. Romani and I turned to her and watched with confused expressions as she wound down to small fits of giggles.

"Grass… _Grasshopper?!_" she asked between giggles. "She calls you _Grasshopper?!_" Romani crossed her arms as Zelda slowly stopped laughing. "So," she said conversationally, "how did Grass-" She let out an involuntary snort of laughter and tried again. "How did Grasshopper come about?"

"Well, to quote Romani directly," I said, "I wear green and patter about when I walk, so I'm Grasshopper." I looked at Romani, half expecting her to say something. Since she was too busy glaring at Zelda, I added, "Personally, I really like it. Wouldn't have it any other way." Romani looked at me sideways and turned pink as an adorable _aw gee, thanks_ look spread over her face.

"Really?" asked Zelda. "What about 'fairy boy?'" I stiffened at the mention of Malon's nickname for me. A longing for Navi's company that I thought had long since passed suddenly flooded my mind, bringing scraps of memories of our journey together with it.

"I don't really have a fairy any more, do I?" I said darkly. A look of concern passed over Romani when she heard my tone, and she started to stand up. The door knob turned.

"WAFFLES!" I shouted, whirling around and wrenching the door the rest of the way open. My sadness was forgotten instantly as I took the plate from Anju's shocked hands. "Thank you very much!" I said, shutting the door once more. I walked quickly to the chair which Anju's grandmother usually occupied and sat down, putting the plate in my lap. "Where were we?" I asked, cutting off a piece from the edge. Romani sighed and walked to the door.

"If I stay here, I'm either going to kill him or be unable to stay mad at him," she muttered as she left the room. Disregarding this for the moment, I stuffed my mouth full of waffles. Anju had done it again, blending syrup and butter perfectly to create a delicious coating for the waffles. I didn't know why her grandmother hated her cooking; if her waffles were anything to go by, she was a genius.

"Enjoying yourself?" asked Zelda, clearly amused.

"Your cook has nothing on Anju's waffles," I said. "His waffles taste like waffles. _These_ waffles…" I took another bite, savoring the wonderful flavor of the waffles. "_These_ waffles taste like… joy. They fill my heart with rainbows!" Zelda snickered. After taking a moment to think, I realized what I had just said and laughed as well.

"Anyway," I said, carefully cutting off my next bite, "we need to talk." I looked up from my waffles into her cerulean eyes. "Princess, you are a very beautiful girl, there is no denying that. But-"

"Great! So it's settled!" she interrupted. "Let's go home! You can stay with me in the castle, and live like a king!" She grinned mischievously. "Or you know… you could _become_ a king…"

"Zelda, I only said that I think you're beautiful. I didn't say that I love you. Those are two completely different things." Zelda's face fell. _That could've come out a bit smoother…_ I thought. "Zelda, look at me." She lifted her gaze to me. "Zelda, you are beautiful, and you're going to make an incredible ruler one day. But you need to understand. My heart is with Romani. Life as a rancher I can deal with. Life as a monarch… I don't think that would work for me."

"I see," she said, looking down again. "I… I should've known better. You've never been one to want money or fame or anything like that. The fact that you completely disagreed with the parade in your honor is evidence enough of that." She blew out a deep breath and put her face in her hands. "You know… for all the knowledge the Triforce of Wisdom gives me, it's useless when it comes to boys. I always end up scaring them off when I try to advance, or I come off as a know-it-all and that kind of puts them off." She shook her head. "You and I were always such good friends that I thought you might… Oh gods!" She pulled her face out of her hands and looked at me. "I've been making a fool of myself and of you ever since I saw you at the Carnival with… with… Whatever-her-name-is!"

I slowly and deliberately ate another bite of waffle. There wasn't much use in agreeing with her at this point; we both knew it was the truth. Also, it was kind of hard to have waffles sitting in your lap and _not_ eat them.

"Gods, Link. I'm so sorry. I was jealous at the Carnival when I saw you with her, and then today, you were sitting up there with your thinky face-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on," I interrupted. "Thinky face? What exactly do you mean by that?" Zelda laughed.

"When you're thinking really hard about something, you get this look, and it's freaking adorable!"

"Huh," I said, trying to figure out why that would happen."

"Yeah, that's it! That look right there!" I flushed, wondering if she had baited me into that.

"Anyway," she continued, adopting her former apologetic demeanor, "When I saw you up there… _alone..._ I don't really know what came over me. I just went up there and started talking to you, and then suddenly, I had this urge to let you know how I felt, so… I kissed you." She furrowed her brow at me. "And I have to say, you're a terrible kisser. Were you even trying?"

"No," I said, "no, I wasn't. Well… I was trying to get you off me… but no, I wasn't trying to kiss you back."

"Figures," she muttered. "Well… I guess you need to go and talk to your girlfriend, right?"

I nodded. "If she's anything like her sister, and I'd bet a few hundred rupees she is, it's going to take a bit of doing in order to get her to come around." I finished the waffles and stood. "Zelda," I said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "trust me when I say this. The right person will come around. All you have to do is be patient. Okay?" She smiled at me and nodded. "Okay." A thought crossed my mind. "Where have you been sleeping?" I asked.

"Um... well... the streets. I forgot to bring my money."

"You? Forget something? Impossible," I said, grinning.

"Oh, shut up!" said Zelda, a smile crossing her face. "Like I said, the Triforce of Wisdom isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"All right, if you say so. I'll get you a room here so you actually have somewhere decent to sleep."

"Okay," she said. "You really need to go and talk to your girlfriend. Stop chatting with me and go!"

"Yes, you're absolutely right. See you later, Princess."

"Bye Link."

On my way out of the Stock Pot Inn, I gave Anju two blue rupees to pay for the pancakes (I also thanked her excessively) and a purple rupee to pay for Zelda's room. Having done that, I exited the Stock Pot Inn and asked started looking for Romani. I started to walk towards the stairs that led to South Clock Town.

_I don't know why you bother,_ said a voice. I jumped and looked around wildly for the source.

_It's me you idiot! Kai!_

"Oh," I thought. "Well, I am bothering. I'm not losing Romani."

_Again, I don't know why you bother. If you don't kill Majora, she will destroy everything, including your precious little ranch girl. Once Majora is dead, you will have time to chase after women._

"Well, I'm still waiting on Nayru to teach me to call upon the power of the Triforce. After that happens, I'll start actively looking for Majora. But considering that I usually just run into her anyways, I probably won't have to look to far.

_The only reason you randomly run into her is because the author isn't creative enough to write it any other_ way.

"Um... what?"

_I said I disapprove of you being sidetracked by this girl._

"Yeah, well that's what I'm going to do anyway. Now be a good spirit and go back to your mask." Kai's anger flared up at this, and he left my mind muttering about insolence and bad segues back to the main plot of the chapter.

By now, I had reached South Clock Town. I immediately spotted Romani sitting on the platform above the Clock Tower doors with her legs hanging over the edge. I made for the ramp that led up there and climbed up onto the platform.

"Hey," I said, sitting down next to Romani. She didn't respond. I sighed. "Romani, I've already said this. That was nothing. And if it looked like I was really into it, I can truthfully say that I was trying to get her off me."

"That's not what I'm upset about!" she yelled, looking at me. "She's beautiful, she's rich, she doesn't have any goddamn freckles, she-"

"First of all," I interrupted, "I happen to like your freckles. They're very cute. Secondly, what does any of that other stuff have to do with this?"

"I..." She looked down at her boots. "I'm afraid she's going to steal you away from me." I laughed at this, and she looked at me with hurt in her eyes.

"Romani, why would I ever leave you for Zelda? Yes, I think she's beautiful, but you're the one that I love. Zelda could never replace you." I smiled. "I don't think anyone could." She smiled and turned pink again. Then she turned toward me and kissed me. I kissed her back, putting my arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer. A wolf-whistle rang permeated the ever-present din of South Clock Town. Without breaking away from Romani, I flipped a bird in the general direction of the sound, and heard a number of people laugh.

After a few more seconds, Romani pulled away. "I should probably get back to the ranch. If Cremia finds out I snuck out again right after getting in trouble for sneaking out, I'll probably be to dead to see you again."

I laughed. "I'll help you out a little," I said, pulling out the Ocarina of Time. I visualized Milk Road and played the Song of Soaring. A few seconds later, we were standing in front of the Owl Statue on Milk Road. Romani gave me a quick kiss and started running towards the ranch. "Wait!" I called after her. She stopped and looked back. I reached into my mask pouch and threw her the Stone Mask. "When you wear that, people don't see you. I think you'll find it useful." She thanked me and started running toward the Ranch again. When she suddenly disappeared, I knew she had put on the mask.

Having nothing to do for the rest of the day, I decided to go on a random expedition. Playing the Song of Soaring once more, I let my mind wander while the winds picked me up. When I felt them stop, I opened my eyes and took in the bleak landscape of Ikana Canyon. I wondered briefly why I was always brought here when I didn't have a destination in mind, but soon disregarded it as coincidence. After a moments indecision, I set off for Castle Ikana.

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><p><em><strong>That's it for now. If you couldn't tell, I was trying to blend the plot with comic relief, which has been difficult for me in the past. Let me know if I did it right in your reviews!<strong>_

_**Speaking of reviews, this story now has over 50! Thanks to ZeldaRubix and Odnetnin Adlez in particular for leaving a review for every chapter, you guys don't know how grateful I am to you for reading through the catastrophe of boringness and lameness that was the first seven chapters and telling me your thoughts on each of them! I really wish more people would do that (wink wink nudge nudge). Kabrex and Komodin also deserve thanks for leaving reviews every chapter after they caught up. Thanks guys. And Komodin, work on that awesome Sonic crossover, will ya? It's such a cool idea that it needs to be finished!**_

_**We'll pick up with Majora again after the next chapter. I hope I can wrap this up well enough that it won't be completely lame. Until next chapter!**_


	16. Cremia's Dilemmia

_**WHAT IS THIS?! COULD IT BE?! NO WAY. HOLY SHIT, IT IS!11ONE!1! A new chapter for Majora's Revenge has arrived at last! And it has a horrible pun for a title! My, my, I think I'm really in the mood for this story again!**_

_**Before I continue, special thanks to my best friend Tony and to jack2892, who have both repeatedly been giving me kicks in the pants to write another chapter for this story. Without them, this probably wouldn't have happened until summer vacation. Speaking of jack2892 go read his story, "I'm Sorry," as soon as you finish this chapter; it's an amazing LinkXSaria story full to the brim with originality and awesomeness.**_

_**We've reached the turning point. After this chapter, there won't be much else left except the finale. Thanks for sticking with me through this hiatus, you've all been amazing! This chapter has multiple PoVs, and they're all third person. I hope you guys are okay with that; I've kind of had to multitask characters in OoT, so I'm used to writing like that now.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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><p>Majora swore loudly as she continued trudging through the desert realm that had once been her prison. She had no idea how long she had been walking, but she knew it had been long, and she knew that she was very angry that she had not yet found her way out. Twice, a sandstorm had sprung up and she was forced to waste her energy on a spell to protect herself from the sand that would otherwise strip away her flesh. She had almost given up hope when she heard it: A low hum that wavered slowly in pitch.<p>

Excited, Majora looked around for the source. Not six hundred yards away, an unnatural red light shone from behind a dune. She took off toward it immediately, stumbling as the sand slipped underneath her feet. A minute later she reached the source of the light.

As she had expected, it was a swirling vortex of dimensional energy that moved any matter that went through it from one dimensional plane to another. Or in layman's terms, a portal. Majora laughed loudly, happy that she had at last found the way out of this wretched place. She braced herself, then jumped into the vortex.

The journey was unpleasant, to say the least. Hurtling at breakneck speeds through the void was bad enough, but the unstable nature of the portal itself caused large discharges of energy that shot back and forth between the walls of the wormhole, similar to lightning but around five hundred times more powerful. Twice, Majora was unlucky enough to be in the middle of such a discharge, and the pain was nearly unbearable. She knew that if she had been mortal, she would have been disintegrated.

At last, the portal spat Majora out, and she landed on the ground in a heap. She lay there for a moment in a daze before picking herself up and looking around. She was in Ikana Canyon, just outside the cave where the river originated from. The portal was apparently one-way, since there was no trace of it behind her. She started to walk toward the Music Box House when a strange wooshing sound reached her ears. Ducking low, she searched for the source. As she watched, a sphere of wind and feathers materialized in front of the Owl Statue, then dissipated revealing Link.

Majora hissed softly as she hid in the shadows of the cave. Was it possible he knew she was here? Had he come to challenge her once more? No, that was impossible. In fact, he wasn't even walking towards her, he was going towards Ikana Castle. Majora sighed in relief. She wasn't ready to fight him just yet. No. She wanted his death to be painful and tragic, and that would take special planning.

Reclining against the wall of the cave, Majora allowed her thoughts to drift for a while. Eventually her thoughts came around to Link's relationship with the red-haired girl. It was clear they held a deep affection for each other. Just as she had had for Kai…

No. She had to stop thinking about that bastard. How dare he reject Majora, the Demon Queen! Majora slammed her fist into the ground in anger, her strength causing small cracks to spread out from her fist. She jumped to her feet and began pacing back and forth as she fumed. Her thoughts flashed between Kai and Link and how she so wanted them both dead. But how?

Suddenly, Majora stopped in her tracks. A grin split her face as a plan formed in her mind. A practically foolproof plan that would draw Link to her like a moth to a lamp, and he would bring Kai's mask.

Still grinning, she teleported away from Ikana Canyon, once again leaving it devoid of all life.

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><p>Romani let out a sigh of relief as she closed the door to the bedroom behind her and removed the Stone Mask. She could see why Link kept these masks around; some of them were extraordinarily useful. The thought of Link spawned a small smile as she hid the Stone Mask under her mattress. She considered herself lucky that he had chosen <em>her<em> out of all the girls in Termina and his homeland, even a princess.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs jolted Romani from her thoughts. She quickly dropped onto her bed and assumed a bored expression. Within seconds, the door opened to reveal Cremia. She glanced at Romani as she entered the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Cremia hesitated for a moment before walking over to Romani's bed and sitting down on the end.

"Hey," she said. Romani gave a small nod to acknowledge her. "Look, I'm sorry about Link. I know how much you care for each other, and…" Cremia sighed. "I acted rashly. You're not a little girl anymore, Romani. You can take care of yourself well enough, and Link was with you, and I know he can take care of you as well. I'm… I'm sorry."

Romani sat bolt upright. "Did you just do what I think you did?"

Cremia frowned. "What?"

Romani laughed loudly. "You apologized to me! Cremia, the most stubborn person in Termina, just apologized to me!"

A wide grin split Cremia's face. "You should consider yourself lucky. That only happens maybe twice a year." She waited a little bit for Romani to stop laughing before asking, "So, am I forgiven?" She half-spread her arms.

Romani moved across the bed and threw her arms around her sister. "Of course you are."

At that moment, the house exploded.

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><p>Colton Gorman looked up from the hay he was pitching as a distant <em>boom<em> reached his ears.

"Hey Arton," he called, "did you hear that?"

"Yeah," his older brother shouted back. "What about it?"

"It sounded like it came from the other ranch."

"Again; what about it?"

Colton threw down his pitchfork and walked over to where Arton stood pumping water. "Shouldn't we go see what it was? What if somebody's hurt?"

Arton stopped pumping and turned slowly toward his younger brother. "Why do you care, Colton?" he asked suspiciously. When he was met with silence, he pointed an accusing finger at his brother. "You fancy her."

Colton flushed, but did not look away. "So what if I do?" he asked. "Why does that matter? People could be hurt up there, Arton! Why don't you care?!"

Arton seized his younger brother's collar and shook him violently. "How can you not get it?!" he shouted. "If they're out of commission, we'll be the only ranch left in Termina! We'll finally make a profit!"

Without warning, Colton smashed his fist into his brother's nose. Arton let out a swore loudly and staggered backwards, hands flying to his bleeding nose.

"You heartless bastard!" Colton shouted. "People are in danger and all you care about is money?! I can't believe you!" He turned towards Milk Road. "I'm going to check, whether you like it or not." And with that, he ran off towards Romani Ranch, leaving his brother to nurse his nose.

* * *

><p>Cremia groaned as she regained consciousness. Everything hurt, especially her head. Her ears were ringing and when she opened her eyes, she found her vision blurry. She seemed to be outside… yes, she could feel the grass now, and it explained why most of her vision was green. She smelled smoke, and suddenly she remembered the explosion.<p>

_Romani!_ Cremia thought, bolting upright. Pain shot through her head, but she ignored it and stood up. In a few seconds, her vision cleared and the ringing in her ears faded. Cremia looked around, seeing debris from her house scattered about the pasture, then gasped as she saw the house itself. Or at least, where the house used to be. There was practically nothing left of it except for a few skewed, charred beams sticking out of the stone foundation.

Now fighting against the panic rising within her, Cremia whirled away from the house and shouted, "Romani! Where are you?!"Laughter came from behind Cremia, and she turned toward it. What she beheld nearly made her panic take over. A purple-skinned woman with ivory hair and orange eyes grinned down at her, Romani's unconscious body slung over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The eyes awoke a primal fear within Cremia, and an instinctive feeling that this being was not natural came over her.

"W-who… _what_ are you?" stammered Cremia, taking a small step back. "W-why have you d-done this?"

The being laughed again, sending a chill of fear down Cremia's spine. "Who am I?" she said. "I am Majora, the Demon Queen. And you…" Majora jabbed the index finger of her free hand into Cremia's chest. "You are going to do something for me if you ever want to see your sister again."

Cremia found herself struggling to understand what she had just learned. Something about the name 'Majora' seemed familiar to her. Then suddenly, it clicked. "You!" she said. "You were the one behind that moon three years ago!"

Once again, Majora's laughter echoed out into the pasture. "Let's see, how should I put this in a way you can understand? Oh yes!" She replaced her smile with a dull expression as she rolled her eyes and said, "Duuuuuh!" Her grin reappeared as she cackled yet again.

Now barely holding back her panic, Cremia asked, "What do you want with my sister?"

"Ah, finally! A question worth answering." Majora's smile widened as she gazed at Cremia. "Bait."

"Bait," echoed Cremia, confused.

"Yes, that's what I said," Majora said with a hint of annoyance. "Bait."

"But who... Oh no! For Link?"

"Duuuuuh!" said Majora again. "Honestly, how stupid are you?" Before Cremia could respond, Majora said, "Now, I have a task for you. I want you to find Link and tell him what has happened here. Then, tell him that if he wants to try and save his little girlfriend, he will meet me at the hollow log south of Clock Town tomorrow night." She turned and began to walk away, then faced Cremia and smiled again. "I hope for your sister's sake you find him quickly. Termina is by no means a small country, and Link could be anywhere." With that, she let out one last cackle and disappeared.

Cremia stared at the spot where Majora had disappeared. "Okay," she said, "time to wake up now."

"Cremia!" called a distant voice.

"Or maybe not..." Cremia turned and saw Colton Gorman running towards her. _This should be interesting…_

"Cremia!" Colton called once more.

"What do you want, Colton?" Cremia sighed.

"I heard the explosion," Colton said, coming to a stop a few steps from her. "I was worried about you. Are you hurt?"

Cremia couldn't help herself; she burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh, this is a doozy of a dream!" she exclaimed, ignoring Colton's confused look. "First, Romani gets kidnapped by a demon, and now one of the Gorman brothers is worried about me!" She looked around. "What's next? Will trees fall from the sky? Will the cows start talking about theoretical physics? Or will I finally wake up and get on with my life?"

"Cremia," Colton said softly. She stopped laughing and looked at him. "This isn't a dream."

"Oh sure, and clouds are green," said Cremia sarcastically.

Colton did not respond immediately; instead he stepped forward and took her hands in his. "This is real," he said, his tone gentle.

Cremia did not do anything for a while. "So… so Romani was really t-taken?" she said at last, her voice breaking. Colton nodded slowly. Cremia's eyes filled with tears and, unable to contain herself, she collapsed onto Colton's shoulder as sobs racked her body.

Colton did the only thing he could think to do. He embraced her, holding her close against his body and hoping that his presence could help to comfort her. In response, Cremia buried her head in his shoulder, muffling her crying. They remained thus for just over a minute as Cremia's sobs slowly died away.

When at last she was silent, Colton opened his mouth to say something comforting, but he was interrupted by the feeling of Cremia's lips on his. Any words in his mouth died as he kissed her back, one hand moving up to run through her sweet-smelling hair. She made no move to stop him, welcoming the contact.

After what felt like a lifetime, they broke apart at last, looking into each other's eyes. It was a while before anything was said; they sat down on the grass and held each other close for a while. Eventually, Cremia explained what had happened, and by the end, she was crying again, though not as hard as before.

"If you ask me," Colton said, a small smile playing across his lips, "Majora's plan is really, really cliché." Cremia laughed, though something about that lauh made Colton think it was forced. "But nonetheless," he continued, "we should try to find the green-hat kid right away. If anyone has a chance to save your sister, it's him."

Cremia nodded. "I guess the first place to look would be Clock Town." She glanced back at the remains of her house. "I have to go there anyways, and see if Anju will give me a room."

"I'll give you a ride there," offered Colton.

Cremia smiled at him. "That would be great," she said. Then, she nervously added, "Would you… would you stay the night with me as well?"

Colton smiled back at her. "Of course," he said. He stood up and stretched. "I'll go get a horse and wagon from my ranch," he said. "I'll be right back."

Cremia watched him go for a little, then headed back to what remained of her house. She began to search through the wreckage for anything of value that may have survived. She found the metal box she kept her emergency funds in several yards away from the house. The three hundred rupees inside it were safe from harm, so she pocketed them. Aside from that there was not much left that she could pawn. She was thankful to find the barn and the cows inside it unharmed. If the cows had been killed or escaped and lost to the wild, then Cremia would have had to restart a breeding program that had taken generations to fulfill and get Chateau Romani to what it was now. But as it was, she could continue the family business even as she began to rebuild her home.

When she had finished rooting through the wreckage, she waited by the entrance to Milk Road for Colton with a small sack of useful things she had found. It was not long before she heard the _clop-clop_ of horse hooves and the rattling of wagon wheels. When he arrived, Colton helped her up into the seat next to him. "Thanks for doing this," Cremia said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He flushed slightly and she giggled silently to herself.

When they reached Clock Town, Colton tied up the horse on one of the wooden posts just outside the southern gate, and they entered, continuing to the Stock Pot Inn. Anju seemed surprised when Cremia walked in with Colton, and even more so when Cremia told her what had happened. Anju immediately got them a room and refused payment for it. After unpacking their meager luggage load, Cremia and Colton spent the rest of the day walking around Clock Town, catching up with friends and finding ways to entertain themselves.

Though Cremia seemed to be fine, Colton could tell that she was just putting on a brave face. Late that night, when they were in bed, Cremia waited until Colton was asleep, then began to cry silently. Eventually, around three o'clock in the morning, she fell asleep out of exhaustion.

Throughout every dream she had, Majora's laughter echoed, and the chilling orange eyes glared at her out of the shadows.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Bla bla bla, sorry about being late, bla bla bla, potato.<strong>_

_**Mashed**__** potato.**_

_**Yes.**_

_**With butter.**_

_**And salt.**_

_**Yes.**_

_**...**_

_***reads that back***_

_**Sometimes I scare myself…**_

_**ANYHOO! Did I surprise anyone with that pairing? I'll admit, I kind of rushed it. But oh well, I'm terrible at pacing! Personally, I kind of like it. The LinkXRomani is kind of juvenile, the MajoraXKai is super-dy duper-dy complicated, but CremiaXColton… It feels more natural for me to write. Let me know what you guys think!**_

_**I've got the rest of the story all planned out, and I'll be writing it much more actively from here on. I guesstimate three, maybe four chapters until the finish. However many there end up being, Don't expect to have to wait months for them. Maybe **_**A**_** month, but not multiple months. I expect to finish mid-summer.**_

_**Once again, go read "I'm Sorry" by jack2892! You won't regret it, and I guarantee you'll like it if you like this story.**_

_**Please review! It's a great way to share your thoughts and make me feel super-special awesome! And, after you do, and you've gone to read "I'm Sorry," make sure to review that too!**_

_**Until next chapter.**_

_**-Norkix-**_


	17. A Lesson with the Goddess of Wisdom

**_Heh. Eheh. Heh. Woops. So much for mid-summer, eh? Hahaha SHIT._**

**_I don't know what happened guys. There was just so much stuff not going on that I sank into video games and started playing Dragon Quest VIII and The Wind Waker for hours each day, forgetting to write… and I am ashamed because of it. Seriously, I was all excited as school got out to finish this story, and now school is going to start again soon and I'm no farther than I was earlier this summer…_**

**_But remain hopeful! I _****WILL****_ finish this story, and I will do it as soon as I can. I don't know why I'm saying all this though, since it appears no one cares anymore. I got no reviews for the last chapter except for my good buddy OdnetninAdlez. SO SHOUT OUTS TO HIM BECAUSE HE'S AWESOME! GO READ VISIONS!_**

**_Now then. To business! *clink* Oh wait, that wasn't a toast…_**

**_Hmmm…_**

**_I'mma go get some butter._**

**_Oh, and… This chapter has a lot of serious cussing in it. You've been warned..._**

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><p>IKANA CASTLE<p>

I walked slowly into the courtyard of Ikana Castle, not so much because I was afraid, but because I didn't want to disturb the silence. It was literally deathly quiet here, and I wasn't about to change that. As quietly as I could, I moved towards the castle's entrance.

_What are we doing here?_ Kai asked suddenly.

I couldn't help it; I jumped about ten feet in the air at the sound of his voice. "Don't _do _that!" I said. The deity chuckled as I struggled to calm my racing heart. "If you must know, we're here to get information on Majora from Igos du Ikana."

_Ah, yes. The celebrated king of Ikana. He was the last of his bloodline, you know. A shame that blood was half-saturated with booze every other day. If he hadn't been so drunk all the time, he might have actually been able to wed and produce an heir or two._ He fell silent for a moment as I came into the large entrance hall of the castle. Then, _You know, if you want information on Majora, you could just ask me._

"I don't want to know how to kill her," I said. "I want to know more about the religion that was based around her."

_In that case, why don't you go back to the ranch and consult your book?_

"What?"

Kai sighed. _The book you got when all those people gave you gifts. _A History of the Ancients_, wasn't it?_

"Of course!" I said aloud, slapping my forehead. "And now that I think about it, reading a book is probably a safer way to get information than waking the dead."

_I only hope you can concentrate on the book and not on the little ranch girl,_ Kai added snidely.

"Shut up," I said, grinning. I turned around and walked out of the castle as I pulled out the Ocarina of Time. However, at that moment, my stomach grumbled loudly. I sighed. I wasn't likely to get a lunch at Romani Ranch considering that I had been kicked out only a few hours ago. However, I knew that there was one person nearby who would be happy to give me a good meal…

* * *

><p>"Thanks a lot, Daron!" I called as I left the Music Box House with a full stomach. "That was delicious!"<p>

"You're very welcome, my boy!" Daron replied. "Come back any time you want! You're always welcome here." And with that he shut the door.

I glanced up at the sun as I took out the Ocarina of Time and estimated that I had spent around an hour and half at the Music Box House. I shrugged. That wasn't a serious loss of daylight, after all. With Milk Road set firmly in my mind, I played the Song of Soaring and let the winds carry me through the sky. Within seconds, I was deposited in front of the owl statue. As I walked off towards Romani Ranch, I wondered what Cremia would do when I arrived at her door and asked for my things back.

However, when I reached the ranch, all those thoughts vanished from my mind. The house was gone – blown to smithereens by Nayru-knows-what – and Romani and Cremia were nowhere to be found. I fell to my knees, stunned by the sight before me. It couldn't be. This was some sick joke, of course. The Gorman brothers were probably behind it. At that thought, a primal rage rose within me. Trying to steal Chateau Romani was one thing. Blowing up a house and kidnapping the inhabitants was quite another. My hands reflexively curled into fists. Without another thought, I stood up and strode off angrily towards Milk Road once more.

As I neared the Gorman Racetrack, loud cursing reached my ears, but I disregarded it. Within moments, I could see the older of the Gorman brothers, Arton, who was attempting to staunch the flow of blood from his nose; it was he who was cursing. Without so much as a thought to why his nose was broken, I broke into a run, charging at him. A scream of rage forced its way out of my mouth as I summoned the Great Fairy Sword in a flash of purple light. Arton jumped, and his gaze snapped to me, his eyes widening. Within seconds I was upon him. I tackled him to the ground and savagely pounded his face three times with my right hand.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" I roared. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!"

"The hell are you talkin' about, kid?" he shouted. "Have you gone crazy?!"

I laid the edge of my sword across his neck. "I'll do it," I said. "I'll fucking kill you right now. What did you do to Romani and Cremia?"

"I didn't do anything to-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" I screamed.

"I'M NOT LYING!" Arton screamed back. "All I know is that there was an explosion, and my brother broke my nose and ditched me to see if anyone there was hurt. I haven't heard from him since. If they're not still there, then I would guess that they went into town. Good riddance, in my opinion," he added. He looked me straight in the eyes. "There, I've told you all I know. Now get the fuck off of me, brat."

Reluctantly, I stood up, my anger still smoldering. "I swear to Nayru, Gorman, if you lied to me, I'll come right back here and chop your miserable head off."

"I told nothin' but the truth," he said, standing up clumsily. "Now get your ass off my property."

With another flash of purple light, the Great Fairy Sword disappeared from my hand, and I left the racetrack without another word. I didn't even notice when Arton let out a shaky sigh of relief. Instead of Soaring to Clock Town, I decided to simply walk there, as I needed to calm down and get my thoughts in order.

I wasn't able to calm down enough to think straight until I reached the hollow log just south of Clock Town. I sat down inside of it, welcoming the shelter it gave from the hot afternoon sun. With my mind clear, I was finally able to put together a coherent train of thought. First item on the agenda: Who would want to hurt or kill Cremia and Romani? As far as I knew, most everyone in Clock Town had no reason to hate them or to seek a quarrel with them. It was unlikely that the Zoras or Gorons were involved either, as they probably didn't even know who Cremia and Romani were.

Then another thought hit me like a ton of bricks: someone might have kidnapped them to get to me. I doubted that there was a single person in Clock Town who didn't know that Romani and I were more-than-friends. But then… I doubted very many people in Clock Town could afford enough explosives to blow parts of the house all the way across the ranch. Except maybe for Zelda…

As soon as that thought entered my head, I tried to shake it off. Of course not, Zelda would never do something like this… would she? No, that couldn't be. Zelda might have a serious grudge towards Romani for understandable reasons, but if I knew her at all (and I'd be damned if I didn't), she would never hate anyone so much as to try to kill them.

But then… who?

Several minutes later I nearly slapped myself as the obvious answer sprang into my mind. Of course, it had been Majora! "I'll be that anyone who could read that entire thought process would think me a complete and total idiot for not realizing that right away!" I muttered.

_I would be very worried about that possibility if I were you,_ said Kai, chuckling.

"I didn't mean you," I told him.

_I didn't either,_ he said.

"You know what?" I said. "I'm not even going to try to understand that. You're insane."

_Am I?_ he asked in a mysterious voice. _Are you sure I'm not just more in tune with the workings of the universe than you are?_

"Yeah," I said, "I'm pretty sure you're insane."

_Fine. Be that way._

"Fine."

_Fine._

"Fine!"

_FINE!_

We were silent after that. I sat back against the log and closed my eyes as a cool breeze brushed lazily across my skin. Before long, I was asleep.

* * *

><p>I found myself standing in a beautiful grassy plain dotted with flowers here and there and everywhere. Puffy white clouds drifted by overhead, and the sun cast a pleasantly warm light down upon me as it floated high above without a care.<p>

"It is beautiful, is it not?" asked a soft voice from behind me.

"Yes," I said, turning to face the speaker. "And very peacef-" The word caught in my throat as I beheld a beautiful woman striding barefoot towards me through the grass. She wore naught but a simple blue dress the color of the sky and a blue headband that kept her waist-length brown hair from obscuring her face. Her features were elegant and her pale skin was as smooth as polished stone and radiated a faint blue aura. Her eyes were the deepest blue I had ever seen, and while beautiful, they seemed to look _through_ me, analyzing and calculating.

She was the most beautiful being I had ever seen.

Remembering my place, I knelt as she approached and bowed my head. As her feet entered my vision, I closed my eyes and placed my hand across my chest. "Lady Nayru," I murmured, "it is an honor."

She reached down and gently cupped my face in her soft hand, gently raising my eyes to meet hers. She smiled at me; a small smile to be sure, but one that so enhanced her beauty that I found myself unable to think clearly.

"If I may, my lady," I said absently, "the beauty of this place is nothing compared to your own."

Her smile grew wider, revealing her perfect white teeth. "You are no ugly thing yourself, young one."

I was powerless to stop my cheeks from acquiring what I'm sure was a red so brilliant in intensity that it would have fried the retinas of any who looked directly at it.

Nayru laughed, releasing my chin and taking my hand. "Come," she said, pulling me to my feet, "let us walk."

I remained silent as she led me through the grass. I have never felt more calm and peaceful as I did during that walk. The gentle breeze that nuzzled my skin, the feel of the goddess' hand on my own, and the beauty of everything around me swaddled me in a blanket of warmth and happiness that no other experience has ever come close to matching.

We walked for a long time, walking and walking until at last, we reached a tree next to a gentle river. Here, Nayru released my hand and sat down on the grass, gesturing for me to do the same. I sat down directly across from her.

"You know why I have come, do you not?" Nayru asked.

"Yes, my lady," I replied. "Farore told me that you would teach me to summon the power of the Triforce with the Great Fairy Sword.

The goddess nodded slowly. "I warn you now, young one. This is no easy task: in order to gain the full power of the Triforce, you will have to suffer a great deal of pain."

I nodded. "I am ready, my lady," I assured her.

She smiled at me once more. "Very well. If you are sure, I will teach you the technique you will use to summon the power of the Triforce." She stood, and I did as well. "Bring forth the Great Fairy Sword, young one." I did so. "Now, raise the sword over your head so it points to the sky." Once more, I obliged. "Now, channel your magical energy into the blade."

At this, I grew skeptical, but I didn't say anything. I summoned my magic power and channeled it down the blade of the sword. The familiar aura that accompanied my Kaitengiri technique surrounded the iridescent blade.

Nayru sighed. "No, no. Not like that." She walked over to me and took the sword from my hand, causing the magical aura I had created to dissipate. "Don't channel it _around_ the blade," she said. "Channel it _into_ the blade." Without the slightest sign of strain or focus, she demonstrated for me. Instead of an aura appearing around the sword, as with Kaitengiri, the sword began to flash and glow from within. "See?" she asked, looking back at me.

I nodded as she released the energy from the sword and handed it back to me. Once more, I summoned my magical energy, and tried to do as she had done. It was surprisingly hard; I had to try more than seven times before I was finally able to do it correctly.

"Very good," said Nayru, nodding in approval. "Now, call upon the name of a goddess. Any goddess, it doesn't matter."

I decided to call upon Farore, my patron goddess. I took a deep breath and shouted her name to the sky. At once, a bolt of green lightning shot down from the sky and hit the tip of the sword, ran down the blade and entered me. I let out a yell as pain shot through every nerve in my body, but it was unlike any pain I had felt before. It felt _good_, invigorating in fact. With every nerve that fired, I felt a rush of power. When at last it was over, I felt like I could take on every monster in the world at once and _win._

"Well done," said Nayru. "Go to the water and look at yourself." I did as she bid me, walking over to the river and peering into the world the water reflected. I gasped at what I saw.

My eyes had turned the same green color as Farore's, and I appeared to be slightly more muscular than before. The biggest change, though, was my tunic. It had transformed into a light, flexible armor that seemed sturdier than any metal on Earth. As if to prove that point, when I turned around, Nayru charged at me and swung her fist towards my stomach faster than I could follow, landing a heavy blow that probably should have sent me flying across the plain. It felt like a gentle tap through the armor.

Nayru stepped back, shaking her hand a little. "_That_ is Farore's Courage Armor. It's practically impenetrable, but not entirely so. If Majora deals a blow powerful enough, that armor will break, and you'll have to wait a few hours for it to reform. So," she said, looking me straight in the eye with her beautiful, intelligent eyes, "don't get cocky."

I laughed a little at this, but soon stopped when I realized something. "Hold on a moment. This is cool and everything, but you said I could summon the power of the Triforce. I seem to have absorbed some of Farore's power though."

Nayru nodded. "I suppose I should have elaborated earlier. You know the Triforce as the three Sacred Triangles of Power, Wisdom, and Courage. However, each of those pieces was created by one of us, and as such, it holds some of our spiritual and magical essence. This essence is what you receive when you use the summoning technique, along with the sacred item of whichever goddess you invoke. Farore's is the Courage Armor, mine is the Wisdom Pendant, and Din's are the Power Bracelets."

She paused. "Do you remember what I said earlier? When I warned you of the dangers of the technique?" I shook my head. "I told you that in order to utilize the full power of the Triforce – that is, gain the power of all three goddesses – you must endure immense pain. And I don't mean the pain of the summoning, I mean true pain. Be it emotional or physical, this pain will break you." She moved closer to me and placed her warm hand on my cheek. "I am sorry, young one. You may never be the same after your final battle with Majora." I looked up into her eyes and saw that they were wet, and the analyzing look was gone, replaced with a look of genuine concern. A look that a mother would give her son when he was called away to war. "I am sorry," Nayru said again, and she wrapped her arms around me in a gentle embrace.

"Well," called a familiar voice, "not only do I have to force my way in here to see you, but I find you snuggling with the 'great hero.'" Nayru jumped away from me with a small yelp and turned to face none other than…

"Kai," gasped Nayru.

"Hello, Nayru," Kai said, a wide smile breaking his normally stern features. "It's been a long time."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Let's cut it there for now. *trollface* If you don't give a crap about Kai's backstory you can probably just skip the first part of the next chapter, but for those of you who do (does anyone even read this story anymore?!), I hope I don't disappoint you with what happens between Kai and Nayru.<em>**

**_ANYWAY._**

**_I'd like to give credit to the song "Glimpse of the Con" by my favorite band, Chevelle. While normally a hard rock band, they delivered this masterpiece of calm, gentle serenity that was the inspiration for the opening of the scene with Nayru. Seriously, I don't care what kind of music you normally listen to, if you don't like this song, there is something seriously wrong with you. Go give it a listen and if it doesn't instantly make your top 10 list of favorite songs, you are welcome to listen to whatever shit music (cough ONE DIRECTION cough) you would have to listen to think that "Glimpse of the Con" is a bad song._**

**_Now that I'm done being totally immature about music, it's time to say farewell once more. I really will try not to make the wait as long this time. I say that every time, but I mean it this time. Seriously, it might even be just a couple of days!_**

**_Please review! It's a great way to let me know your thoughts and make me feel super-special-awesome!_**

**_See you next chapter!_**

**_-Norkix-_**


	18. An Empty Promise

**_Okay, guys, confession time. I went through around three drafts of this chapter before I gave up on trying to tell the story of Kai and Nayru's relationship. So that's not going to be put into any greater detail. As a result, some people may find that Nayru's demeanor towards Kai isn't what it should be, but right now, I just want to move on. So please don't complain about that. Seriously. (Besides, all this Kai-backstory stuff is what made the plot so overly complex in the first place, so I think it's better off this way)_**

**_I'm glad to see that I've picked up some new reviewers! Welcome to you, and to all the people who kept saying they would be patient who aren't reviewing anymore… WHERE DID YOU GO D: I am very sad without you guys. Also, 100 REVIEWS! w000000000OOOOOO00000t! THANK YOU ALL!_**

**_Wow, that last paragraph was really bipolar…_**

**_Enjoy!_**

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><p>Instinctively, I stepped in front of Nayru and held the Great Fairy Sword in a ready position. Kai laughed loudly. "And what do you think that's going to do, boy?" he said with a fiendish grin. "I only want to talk. There's no need for such hostility."<p>

I felt Nayru's hand on my shoulder, and I turned to look at her. She nodded to me. I glared at Kai once more before allowing the Great Fairy Sword to disappear in a haze of purple light. As it vanished, so did the Courage Armor, and the energy I had gained from the Triforce of Courage also left me instantly. The loss of such a huge amount of energy left me feeling drained, and my knees gave way involuntarily. Kai smirked as I hastily got back on my feet.

Nayru touched my shoulder again and I instantly felt as though I'd had a good night's sleep. She gave me a small smile as she brushed past me and approached Kai.

He smiled as she stopped before him. "You are even more beautiful than I remember," he said. "The fire in your eyes as you look at me only enhances it." She did not respond, but continued to stare up at him. Eventually, Kai grew tired of this. "Look Nay, as sexy as you are when you're analyzing me, I kind of hoped we could talk."

"Don't," snapped Nayru, "call me Nay." She studied him for a moment more. "Where do you stand, Kai?"

"I stand before you."

"This is no time for your games! Do you stand with us or with Majora?"

There was an urgency in her voice, and Kai picked up on it immediately. All traces of his snide attitude vanished from his face. "I…" He hesitated. "I am not sure," he said at last. "I have been giving this matter a great deal of thought. Seeing Majora again after all this time has raised some… emotional turmoil in my mind."

What kind of 'emotional turmoil?'" asked Nayru.

I remembered the memories I had seen during the battle on the night of the Carnival, and how Kai had hesitated with the final blow. "He still loves Majora," I said.

"Be silent!" Kai snarled, rounding on me with an angry glare. "You know not of what you speak."

"Bullshit!" I exclaimed. "Majora would be dead right now if you hadn't pussied out!"

A wordless yell leapt from Kai's lips, and he charged at me, the Helix Sword appearing in his hand as from nowhere. I charged forward, summoning the Great Fairy Sword and gripping it with both hands. Neither of us heard Nayru call for us to stop.

A loud _clang_ rang out through the grassy plain as our blades met. I spun away from Kai as he readied another blow, which passed harmlessly through the air behind me. I ducked under his next swing and parried another before feinting to the left. Kai was not fooled, and our blades locked.

"It was foolish to challenge me, child," he hissed.

"A fool I may be," I said, "but at least I am no hypocrite!"

Kai's eyes flashed, and without warning he shoved me back with all his strength. I stumbled backward several steps, struggling to keep my balance. Kai lunged at me, and I only barely got my blade up in time to block his.

Kai yelled and launched into a series of increasingly savage blows. I was able to keep up at first but quickly found myself parrying desperately. With every block, my grip grew a little weaker, until with one final, impossibly powerful swing, the Great Fairy Sword was knocked from my hands and sent spinning across the plain toward Nayru. Kai raised the Helix Sword for the blow that would end my life…

_Bang!_

I found myself flying through the air, and landed hard on my back. I kipped up to see Nayru standing between where Kai and I had been with the Great Fairy Sword in her left hand. Kai had been similarly launched away by whatever Nayru had done, and was only just getting to his feet. His white eyes immediately fell on me and he charged me again, forgetting the Helix Sword on the ground. Nayru swung her leg out as he ran past her, knocking his legs out from under him. She caught his arm as he fell forward and swung onto his back, pinning him to the ground and his arm to his back.

"Get off of me!" he screamed. "I'm going to kill him!" In response, Nayru shoved her knee into the small of his back. He grunted in pain and fell silent.

Nayru glared at me, piercing me with eyes that now seemed cold as ice. "I expected more from you," she said. "I should think that you would know how and when to pick your battles." I looked down at my boots and nodded, ashamed. Nayru released Kai and stood up. After looking down at him for a moment, she walked over to the Helix Sword and picked it up, then walked back towards Kai, motioning for me to do the same. By this time, Kai had assumed a sitting position and was massaging his arm.

"I will hold onto your weapons for the time being," she said, and both swords disappeared from her hands in a flash of blue light. She turned to Kai. "I ask you again," she said, "do you stand with us, or with Majora?

"I don't know," he said bitterly. "As much as I hate to admit it, the boy is right. I still love Majora. However if I side with her, two worlds will fall before her, and I could never live that down."

"I see," said Nayru. She paused for a moment. "Tell me, Kai, does your love for Majora come from your loins or your heart?"

"_What?!"_ said Kai. "What the hell kind of question is that?!"

"Do you find pleasure in Majora's looks, or in her personality? Were you in that relationship for the sex, or for the joy you find in being close to Majora?"

"Wh… I…" Kai replied.

"Um… Uh…" he added.

"To be blunt-"

"Yes, yes, I know what you're asking!" Kai spluttered. He sighed. "Do I find pleasure in her personality? When I truly think about it… No. But I did at first, and I suppose that those were the memories I clung to of her through the centuries." He looked Nayru in the eye. "She is a threat. I see that now."

Nayru nodded. "In that case, I will free you from your mask."

"What?!" I shouted. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm quite serious actually," said Nayru, turning to me. "Released from his mask, Kai will be restored to his full power. He will be a valuable ally in your battle against Majora. That is," she added, narrowing her eyes, "if you two can put your egos aside and find respect for one another."

Kai and I glared at each for a moment. I walked over to him and looked up into his eyes. Before now, I had always seen his eyes as they were on the mask: emotionless and cold. But there was something in them now, something more than empty whiteness. There was life in them now; a newfound resolve and determination.

I extended my hand. He stared at it for a moment, as if to read my fate from the creases in my palm. Then, he clasped my forearm and put his other hand on my shoulder.

"I will fight with you to the death," he vowed.

"And I with you," I replied.

Nayru nodded. "Very well," she said. "Link, it is vital that you find Cremia when you awake." I nodded. "And Link…" she added hesitantly, "whatever happens, you must stand strong."

"Any parting words for me, Nay?" asked Kai, another smile playing across his lips.

"Don't," said Nayru, "call me Nay."

And with that, I awoke.

* * *

><p>I woke to see a man sitting across from me, leaning against the other side of the log. His features were noble at a glance, but on closer inspection, they resembled those of a wolfos – feral and intelligent. His platinum hair fell about his shoulders in an untidy mane, furthering his resemblance to a wolfos. He opened his white eyes and smiled at me.<p>

"Hello there, boy," said Kai.

"Hello, Kai," I said. "Welcome back to the world."

He stood up to his full eleven-foot height and stretched, groaning as a series of loud pops came from various areas of his body. "Bloody hell!" he exclaimed. "I thought I was going to fall apart there!" He cracked his neck loudly and winced. "Do yourself a favor, boy; under no circumstances let your ex-girlfriend seal you away for seven hundred years."

I chuckled. "I don't know about seven hundred, but I was once sealed in the Sacred Realm for seven years. It was a few days before I could get around to saving the world."

Kai laughed. "Lucky for you, I'm a minor god. Otherwise I'd be rehabilitating for months." He gave me a quizzical look. "What did you do to get sealed away for seven years?"

"I pulled a sword out of a stone pedestal," I said, shrugging.

"Huh," said Kai. "I know of a place where you become king for that feat." He shook his head and looked towards Clock Town. "I imagine that my, ah, _appearance_ may intimidate the residents of Clock Town. You will have to find the ranch girl's sister on your own. I will remain here and reacquaint myself with my body." I nodded and ran off towards Clock Town.

As soon as I entered Clock Town, I caught a glimpse of red hair entering the West area. I immediately ran after it, calling out Cremia's name. However, when I did catch up, I found it was Anju.

"Hello!" she said cheerfully. "I was just on my way to buy some groceries. Do you need something?"

"Yeah," I said, "do you know where Cremia is?"

Anju's face fell a little. "Yes... She's at the inn," she said quietly. She put her hand on my shoulder. "Promise me something, Link," she said. "Promise me that no matter what you see, you will be supportive of Cremia. She hides it well, but she now carries a huge emotional scar. Until Romani is safe, let her find happiness in the company she chooses."

"Okay," I said, a little confused. "Well, thanks. Take care." And without another word I set off for East Clock Town. I reached the inn quickly and entered it right as Cremia was coming down the stairs.

"Cremia!" I called, shutting the door behind me.

Cremia reacted slowly. She started at the sound of my voice and swung her head slowly around to see me. She started to raise her hand in greeting, but a look of realization flooded over her features. She gasped, then burst into tears and ran towards me. I tensed, expecting her to slap me or tackle me, but she did none of this. Instead, she threw her arms around me and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry! If I hadn't kicked you out, you would have – and she – she…" She didn't finish, but I understood what she was trying to say. If I had been there, I might have been able to stop Majora from taking Romani.

"Cremia," I started, feeling I should say something consoling… But I could think of nothing to say. "I'm sorry too," I said at last, though I've never been sure why.

"Cremia? Is everything all right?" called a voice from the stairs. Heavy footsteps descended the stairs and Colton Gorman appeared on the landing. He looked around and his eyes found Cremia, then moved to my face. A pained expression crossed his features. "Hey, kid," he said softly, walking over to where Cremia and I stood. He started to put his arm around Cremia's shoulder.

I broke out of Cremia's embrace and grabbed his wrist. "Don't you _dare _touch her," I growled. But Cremia's hand touched my shoulder and when I looked at her she said, "It's alright." Anju's words came back to me, and I realized that she had meant Colton. I looked back at him, then slowly released his wrist. He went to Cremia and put his arm around her. She gave him a quick peck on the lips.

Realization flooded my mind as my mouth formed a silent "Oh." _That_ was what Anju had been concerned about me taking badly.

Cremia smiled as she saw my reaction. "Trust me," she said, "I was just as surprised as you were."

"Hey now," Colton protested, now smiling himself, "I'm not _that_ bad, am I?"

"He's really not," Cremia chimed in. "Except for the mustache. That has to go." We all laughed.

"Well, good for you," I said. "I wish you happiness… and many children," I added with a mischievous grin. I laughed again as they both turned scarlet. We talked for a little while, until I accidentally mentioned Romani and Cremia's smile faded.

She came closer to me and looked me directly in the eyes. "Link… I'm counting on you to get her back for me," she said quietly. "Promise me… Promise me you'll bring her back safely."

I hesitated. I did not know that evenI would be coming back from this battle. The last thing I wanted to do was give Cremia false hope. I looked her in the eye and said, "I'll do my best."

She grabbed my shoulders. "Promise me." There was a plea in her voice.

"I'll do my best," I repeated.

She stared into my eyes for a moment, and then lowered her gaze. "I'm counting on you," she said again. "Majora said that she would be at the hollow log at noon tomorrow."

I nodded and started to leave. I paused at the door, my hand on the knob. I looked back at her. I wanted to tell her how nervous I was about this battle, how scared I was, how I wished that I could be confident about bringing Romani back unharmed. I opened my mouth, ready to start… But I could not find the words.

"Bye," I said simply. And I left, unable to face her any longer. As I closed the door behind me, I silently cursed myself for being so stupid. I could only wonder how Romani was holding up in Majora's custody.

* * *

><p>Romani awoke in darkness, panic piercing her mind like an iron spike. There was no light at all. She could not even see the white of her dress when she looked down. There was no sound. It was not like the silence that comes at night, for in that silence you can still see your surroundings and know what is there. This was a complete absence of all sound, aside from the soft noise of her breathing. She tried to move, but as soon as she did, a jolt of electricity jumped through her body. She cried out, her voice splitting the silence as an axe splits wood.<p>

At the sound of her voice, two orange orbs appeared in the blackness. Romani heard footsteps, and the orbs began to move closer. Romani knew they were eyes, and she knew who they belonged to. She tried to move again, and another jolt of electricity shot through her. She resisted the instinctive urge to cry out; she would not give Majora the satisfaction. The shape of the eyes changed slightly, and Romani knew the demon was smiling.

"Ever the feisty one, eh?" came Majora's voice. Romani shivered despite herself. Majora's voice had changed drastically: it was deeper now, and sounded slightly distorted. There was underlying tone of menace that stoked the fear in her mind – not quite igniting it, but feeding and sustaining it.

The footsteps stopped, Majora's eyes now about three feet from Romani's. Romani wished that there was some kind of light, for Majora's eyes were far less intimidating when they weren't the only thing you could focus on. But then, she thought, Majora probably knew that and was using it to her advantage.

"How do you feel, girl?" asked Majora.

Romani did not answer.

"Your resolve is admirable, but unnecessary. Speak girl. No harm will befall you for doing so."

Romani did not need to think about what to say. "Go fuck yourself."

Majora laughed sadistically. "A fine suggestion, but I'm not really in the mood right now. No… I'm feeling conversational right now. So let's have a conversation, shall we? A little civilized talk never hurt anyone, now did it?"

"Go fuck yourself," Romani repeated.

"I said _civilized_ conversation," Majora said, her eyes narrowing. "I will remind you that you are at my mercy here. It would be best if you do as I tell you to do."

"Go. Fuck. Your. Self." Romani received a hard slap across the face, but this did not deter her. She grinned and looked back at Majora's eyes. "Now that's odd," she said, "I thought that no harm would befall me for talking." She laughed as Majora sputtered. "What's wrong, Majora? Cat got your tongue?"

She laughed again, but without warning, Majora crossed the distance between them with impossible speed and seized Romani's throat. Romani's laugh was cut off in a loud choke as Majora closed her windpipe. The orange eyes, narrowed to slits, were now mere inches from Romani's own and burned with a primal rage. When Majora spoke next, her voice dripped with venom and malice beyond anything Romani had ever heard before.

"You dare to mock me, girl?" she hissed. "You dare to mock _me_, Majora the Demon Queen, Empress of Darkness?" Romani, all trace of her former confidence gone, struggled to look away from Majora's eyes but the demon's grip was too tight. "You are _nothing_ to me, do you understand? NOTHING! You are a speck of dust on the insect beneath my heel – that's right, you aren't even worthy to be the insect – and the only reason I am keeping you alive is so that _he_ will come for you."

The pressure disappeared from Romani's neck, and she gasped, taking huge gulps of air. "Now," said Majora quietly, "tell me to go fuck myself one more time." Romani looked into Majora's eyes for a long moment. But in the end her resolve broke, and she broke eye contact as she hung her head in defeat. "That's what I thought," Majora said, and walked away.

Behind her Romani began to cry silently.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Okay. So. News.<em>**

**_I'm sorry to say that the next few updates might be really long in coming (but you guys are used to that by now, right? Heheh… FORGIVE ME). This is because though I've had the end of the story planned out this entire time, I didn't account for the way I've characterized all the characters so far, particularly Zelda. So I'm going to be doing a lot of revising and re-revising of the next few chapters. Also, I don't want to disappoint you guys with the way the story ends, so the last chapter may be the longest wait._**

**_For followers of my OoT novelization, I should tell you that that's going to be on the back burner for a while. That's a really huge project and I'm only a little ways into it, so I'd like to get this finished before going too much further with that._**

**_Lastly, for those of you who may be upset that Romani has become a damsel in distress after all the time I spent making her a strong character… CHILL OUT! I have my reasons for it, and I assure you that Romani is going to play an important part in the climax. NEVER FEAR, NORKIX IS… um … not stupid._**

**_Please review! It's a great way to share your thoughts and help me feel super-special-awesome!_**

**_Until next time._**

**_-Norkix-_**


	19. Planning Ahead

_**I did tell you these closing chapters would be a while, right? I suppose this DID take longer than it should have, but I maintain that I warned you about a long wait for once.**_

_**This could be seen as a filler chapter, but I mainly used it to fix the mess I made of Zelda's character and to attempt to make Link a little less angsty. I hope I did a good job.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

><p>As I stepped out from under the overhang that extended out from the Stock Pot Inn, I heard a voice call my name. I turned and looked up to see Zelda peeking out over the side of the overhang. As I raised my arm to wave, she jumped off the overhang. I gasped sharply, but as she approached the ground, her descent slowed and she landed gently upon the paving stones.<p>

Zelda looked very different from the last time I saw her. Her demeanor was more mature and her crystal-blue eyes now resembled Nayru's, showing her intelligence and appearing to analyze me. She was wearing a knee-length blue dress and leather boots, and her long golden hair hung down over her shoulder in a single braid. I won't deny it, she looked gorgeous.

"I heard what happened, Link," Zelda said, stepping closer to me. "I'm sorry about Romani." She reached out and took my hand in hers. Normally, I would have pulled away, but her tender expression and gentle voice told me this wasn't an act of lust or jealousy. It was an act of friendship.

"You've changed," I said quietly.

"I grew up," she corrected me. "I was infatuated and selfish… I didn't want to accept that you had found love on your own. After we talked, I did a lot of thinking." She paused for a moment, then looked up into my eyes. "We're friends Link. The best friends people can be. We've shared an adventure through time and cast down a tyrant. I comforted you when Navi left and when you left to look for her, I prayed for your safety every day you were gone. When you came back, I was… beyond overjoyed." Her grip on my hand tightened slightly. "You are precious to me, Link. You're my best friend, and I love you as a friend. I want you to be happy. And for that reason, I will do everything in my power to help you save Romani."

Countless responses flooded my mind. I knew that Zelda had just opened her heart to me, and I wanted to do the same. But I knew that I couldn't say anything to her that she hadn't already said about me. At last, I said "Thank you." I managed to smile and squeezed her hand, and she returned both gestures.

Zelda accompanied me as I bought two large loaves of bread and a block of cheese. As we walked, I told her about the technique Nayru had taught me and about Kai being freed from his mask. Zelda remained silent throughout my explanation, and I could practically hear the gears turning in her head as she thought up a plan.

Or maybe that was just the Clock Tower.

As we stepped out of the South Gate, a rapid series of _thuds_ echoed across the fields towards us. Looking around I spotted Kai near the Southern Swamp Road. He was attacking a large tree with a furious salvo of punches and kicks. As Zelda and I drew closer, I saw that Kai's limbs were moving incredibly fast, yet his motions were fluid and practiced. I stopped walking and gaped in awe as Kai reared back and punched straight through the trunk of the tree with an earsplitting _crack_. An explosion of splintered wood spewed out of the tree and scattered on the ground five feet from the trunk. Kai grunted as he wrenched his arm out of the tree and examined his handiwork.

"That was amazing!" Zelda shouted. Kai looked over at us. Seeing me, he waved, then cocked his eyebrow as he saw Zelda.

"This is Princess Zelda," I said. "Princess, this is Kai, the Fierce Deity."

"Ah," Kai said, with the air of one who has found the book they were searching for after an hour in the library. He bowed deeply to Zelda, and she curtsied in return. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, princess?" he asked.

"I'm going to help fight," Zelda replied.

Kai raised his eyebrows again, this time at me. "Really?" he asked, "You are going to permit your princess to fight in this battle?"

"She fights well," I replied.

Kai nodded, but the fact that he bit his lip as he did so told me he wasn't sure about this. "You carry no weapon," he said to Zelda. "Are you a martial artist?"

"No," said Zelda.

"Then what-" But he got his answer as Zelda created a fireball the size of Kai's head and threw it at the Takkuri near the entrance to Milk Road. There was a squawk and a rush of hot air as the bird disappeared in a huge explosion. "Impressive!" Kai said, nodding.

"You've gotten better," I remarked. "Last time I saw you try that, you missed the target and we had to call a fire brigade to-"

"_Yes, I have gotten better!_" Zelda said forcefully, turning slightly red.

Kai chuckled. "Well, as long as you can hit Majora, we will be fine. Is that bread? Thank goodness, I'm starving! I haven't eaten in seven hundred years!" He took one whole loaf of bread and half of the cheese, leaving Zelda and I to split what remained.

Zelda and Kai struck up a conversation while they ate, but I didn't pay much attention. My thoughts kept straying to Romani. I was afraid. Majora was not only ridiculously powerful, but also dangerously unstable. There was no telling what she was doing to Romani at that moment. And even if Romani was fine when Majora came back, any number of things could still go wrong…

"HEY! Earth to Link!" I jumped and looked around wildly. "Oh good, you're still alive," Zelda laughed. "Are you okay? You look like you're about to throw up."

"What?" I said absently. "Oh… yeah, I'm okay." It wasn't convincing, and I could see that Zelda wasn't going to leave me alone. "I'm just a little stressed out right now," I said hastily. "It's not important."

"I rather think it is," said Kai. "A negative attitude will prevent you from fighting at your full potential."

"Tell us what's wrong," Zelda said, her tone gentle.

"There's nothing wrong!" I lied. "I told you I'm just a little stressed…"

"It's Romani, isn't it?" Kai said. I said nothing, but became very intent on examining the pores in my bread. "Link," he said, using my name for what felt like the first time ever, "it is not a crime to worry for those close to you."

I felt Zelda's arm fall around my shoulder and looked over at her. She smiled. "It's going to be all right," she said confidently. "I told you I would do everything in my power to help you get her back. I meant it." She jabbed her finger into my chest. "You need to be strong for her. If you abandon hope, then we might as well just stand back and let Majora destroy everything."

I looked back down at my bread and didn't say anything for a while. What Zelda had said was true; I didn't defeat Ganondorf by giving up. I was determined to defeat him, determined to make him pay for his crimes. I fought for the people of Hyrule and the friends I had made. Now, I was fighting for the fate of Hyrule and Termina, but on top of that, I was fighting for the girl I loved. I'd be damned if I wasn't going to put my all into destroying Majora. A new determination rose within me, driving back my doubts and restoring my courage.

I looked back at Zelda and nodded. She smiled again. "There we go," she said, clapping me on the back. "That's the Link I know. The whole doom-and-gloom thing didn't fit you well at all." She winked. "Welcome back, Hero of Time."

"You know I hate it when people call me that," I said, but I couldn't stop myself from grinning. I was glad she was there with me, because I don't think anyone else could have given me my confidence back.

* * *

><p>After we had finished eating, Zelda stood and stretched. "Okay," she said importantly, "it's time to talk strategy." She turned to me. "You mentioned earlier that Nayru had taught you how to summon the power of the goddesses."<p>

"Yes," I said. "And depending on whose power I summon, I get one of three relics; Courage Armor, Power Bracelets, or Wisdom Pendant."

Zelda nodded. "So the Courage Armor makes you nearly invincible, right? Show us what the other two relics do."

"Okay," I said, standing up. I summoned the Great Fairy Sword and began channeling my magic power into it. Once again, the purple blade began to glow ethereally. When the charge was complete I took a deep breath, then raised the sword towards the sky and called out the name of Nayru.

A bolt of blue lightning dropped from the sky and struck the tip of the blade. Once again, that invigorating pain rushed through me, filling me with energy. I closed my eyes and accepted the power of the Goddess of Wisdom. When the transformation was complete, I looked down at myself. My tunic had turned blue, and a pendant in the shape of Nayru's symbol was around my neck. I quickly became aware that everything looked much more detailed than before. When I raised my gaze to look at Kai and Zelda, I found myself automatically evaluating their physical conditions based on their posture and other small factors, as well as making other observations simultaneously based on similar tells.

"Wow!" Zelda exclaimed. "That was awesome! And did I ever tell you how good you look in blue?"

"Never mind that," said Kai. I found myself analyzing his voice pattern and finding impatience and annoyance in it. "How do you feel, boy? What can you do?"

"I feel… smart," I said. "I keep making observations of you two and where we are. By the way, Zelda," I added, "your nose wouldn't be as red if you didn't pick your nose."

"Wha-" Zelda sputtered. "I don't… you… how…?"

"So you have gained perception and the ability to make accurate deductions from the smallest of clues," said Kai. "But what can you do in battle?" And without any more warning, he charged at me.

With Kai's speed, I normally would have been far too late to react to him. But as soon as he started moving, the majority of my focus snapped to him. I ducked under his first punch, and sprang lightly aside as his leg came around in a kick that would have sent me flying. Kai turned and came at me with one of his lightning-fast salvos of punches and kicks. Without even realizing how I was doing it, I dodged every single blow, found an opening, and sprang into action. In a single, seemingly instinctive motion, I had Kai sprawled on the ground clutching at a spot on his back.

"Well done," Kai grunted, wincing as he rose to his feet.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine. My nervous system isn't quite the same as yours, so that particular pressure point didn't put me out." The Helix Sword appeared in his hand. "Now, let's see if you can best me again."

I flourished the Great Fairy Sword and settled into a ready position. I was beginning to understand how this relic helped me in combat. Since I had seen how Kai fought before, the Wisdom Pendant was building upon those observations and experiences and helping me to anticipate his every move. When Kai rushed at me once more, I was ready. I didn't need to match his speed; I knew where his blade was going to be, and was always able to parry. This was a more strategic approach to battle that I had never really mastered, relying as I usually did on improvisation, creativity, and spontaneity.

"Are you even paying attention?!" Kai yelled, breaking my thought process. I realized that I had been parrying mindlessly while I had been figuring out how the Wisdom Pendant worked. "I told you to try to best me!" he shouted.

"You got it," I said. I began looking for openings in Kai's onslaught, darting in for a quick slash when I found one and dancing away again when he tried to counter.

"Play not with me, boy!" Kai roared. "Best me!" And with a single powerful blow, he knocked the Great Fairy Sword out of my hands, sending it flying, and raised the Helix Sword for a finishing strike. Unbidden, an immense surge of magic power rose within me, and with it, one of the craziest ideas I have ever had. I channeled a massive amount of magic power into the Helix Sword before it hit me, then immediately used the defensive spell, Nayru's Love. The Helix Sword bounced off the protective diamond of Nayru's Love and the magic energy in it rebounded onto Kai, blasting him back away from me. Using Farore's Wind, I teleported into the path of the Great Fairy Sword, which was still in the air, and caught it, then teleported again. When Kai slid to a stop on his back, he found the point of the Great Fairy Sword at his neck.

"What the fuck just happened?!" Kai yelled.

"I bested you," I said, shrugging.

"No shit." I helped him to his feet. "I didn't know you could use magic like that."

"I can't," I said. "I haven't used either of those spells for years, and they were never as refined as that."

"So this relic also augments your magical abilities," Kai mused. "Try shooting a Light Arrow."

I pulled out my bow and nocked an arrow. I didn't even have to focus to enchant the arrow; the magic started flowing as soon as I thought about it. Instead of accumulating at the tip, the magic went all over the arrow, burrowing into the wooden shaft, soaking into the fletchings, and making the arrowhead shine as brightly as the sun. In the space of one second, the arrow had turned from an everyday projectile to a shining, golden missile practically vibrating with energy. I let it fly. The shot was straight and true, the arrow flying more than fifty feet before hitting the ground. Upon impact, the arrow exploded into a sphere of blinding white light ten feet in diameter.

"And _that_," Kai said, shielding his eyes, "is why demons don't go out during the day." He smiled at me. "That will be very handy once we've worn Majora down."

Zelda ran up behind him. "That was incredible!" she said. "You make me look practically useless!"

"I try," I said, grinning.

After that, I summoned the power of Din. The Power Bracelets turned my tunic red and did the exact opposite of the Wisdom Pendant, making it difficult to use magic and also making me extremely impulsive. However, they also made me just as strong and fast as Kai – our sparring match lasted for more than ten minutes. At last, he called it off and reluctantly admitted that I was his equal.

"But only when you can keep up with me," he added hastily. "When you don't have anything augmenting your abilities, you might as well be a punching bag."

"Whatever you say," I said, grinning. I allowed the energy of the Triforce to drain out of me. The Power Bracelets disappeared and my tunic returned to its usual green. This time, I didn't feel completely drained, though I did feel a little tired as I dismissed the Great Fairy Sword. It must have showed because Kai said that I could take a break while he assessed Zelda's abilities more fully.

I went down to the beach area that led to Great Bay. The cool, salty air felt good on my sweaty skin. I laid down on the warm sand and closed my eyes. I let out a deep sigh, trying to relax. Within minutes, I fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Zelda woke me later, around noon. She said that Kai was meditating and had told her to go over the strategy with me.<p>

Of course, since Majora was an immensely powerful demon, conventional strategies would not be very effective. Kai, with his greater strength and speed, would be the main force of the attack while Zelda and I worked as a team. I was to keep my ability to channel the Triforce hidden until later in the battle, as that would be most useful after Majora got cocky and lowered her guard. When we had worn down Majora enough, I would call upon the power of Nayru and start firing supercharged Light Arrows while Kai and Zelda worked to keep Majora still.

"Sounds like a good plan," I said when she finished. I really did think so, too. In all my battles with the guardians of dungeons and temples, I'd had to come up with battle strategies on the fly, so having one before starting the battle made me a lot more confident. It also wasn't too restrictive and had room for improvisation in the event that the battle went south.

"Link…" Zelda began, but she hesitated and looked down.

"What is it?" I asked.

"When… When this is all over… what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

She raised her eyes to meet mine. "Where will you stay? Are you going to come back to Hyrule or stay here with Romani? Will you lay down your sword or travel the world or join the Hyrule Guard? Will..." She stopped suddenly and looked down again, gripping her dress and twisting it between her fingers. "Will I ever see you again?" she finished quietly.

I didn't know what to say. I'd never thought about what lay beyond the battle with Majora, or even what lay beyond this visit to Termina. "I'm not sure," I said slowly. "If we do win… I'd like to stay with Romani. I really think we have something special. Plus, it would make things awkward with Malon if I brought Romani back to Hyrule with me." Zelda's hands twisted her dress tighter. "But I'd visit!" I added quickly. "Every couple of months, I'd come back and visit. Of course you would see me again, Zel. I want to see you become queen and know your children and all of that! I could never leave Hyrule behind forever." I reached out and took one of her hands in mine and she met my eyes once more. "I'll come back to Hyrule," I said. "I promise."

She smiled and hugged me. "Thank you," she said softly.

* * *

><p>After a little while, I called Epona and took Zelda for a ride around Termina field. This cheered her up and we started talking about the adventures we had when we were younger. We laughed and made jokes, and I started to feel like my old self again.<p>

When the sun touched the western horizon, Kai appeared with food. We ate together, telling more stories and jokes. Zelda and I headed back to the Stock Pot Inn for the night, and for the first time since I had started my journey to Termina, I slept soundly through the night. Tomorrow was a big day, after all.

I had a demon to kill.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Next chapter is the big battle. I say again that it's going to take a while to write, especially since I don't want it to be as monotonous as chapter 6 was. Looking back through my action sequences, I've noticed that they are just that: an endless list of 'I did this. I did this. I did this. I did this.' Probably not much fun to read, eh? I'll try to avoid that in the next chapter.<strong>_

_**Just a little more to go, guys. Thanks for sticking with me for all this time! Can you believe this story is just over two years old? Wow! You guys have a lot of patience, and I thank you for that. I hope you can hold out a little longer, because there are only two chapters left.**_

_**Please review! It's a great way to share your thoughts and make me feel super-special awesome!**_

_**Until next time.**_

_**-Norkix-**_


	20. The Final Battle

_**Boy, that took a lot longer than I was expecting! It really took me a while to figure out how to write this final conflict in a way that would satisfy both me and, of course, you, the reader. Also, I'm lazy. I think I've finally done it. Your patience has been rewarded.**_

_**Enjoy.**_

* * *

><p>A mixture of elation and dread accompanied my awakening. The elation was from my confidence that I would destroy Majora once and for all. The dread came from Nayru's warning. She had said that this battle would break me. I think anyone would feel a sense of dread after being given <em>that<em> warning, especially if it came from a goddess. Still, as I went about my ablutions and morning routines, I tried to keep my attitude positive. There was no sense in going into battle with negativity clawing at the recesses of my mind.

Anju and Kafei made breakfast for me and Zelda, the enticing scent of bacon hastening us through our morning routines. After breakfast, we bade them goodbye and headed for the log in Southern Termina Field. Kai was dozing inside it, but roused himself as we approached.

"Good morning," he said. "I trust you are both well rested and fed?"

"Yup," I said. "In fact, Zelda ate so much that she's even more _full_ of herself than normal!" I laughed, but Zelda and Kai stared at me strangely. "It's… it's a joke," I explained. "Like, when you eat, you get full-"

"We get it, Link," Zelda sighed. "It's just… even for you, that was horrible. And you've had some really terrible jokes." She looked at Kai. "I would know, too."

"I'm sure," said Kai, somewhat sympathetically. "Anyways, I would advise you two against relaxing too much during the wait. We must all be alert and agile when Majora arrives."

_Says the guy who was sleeping inside a log not even two minutes ago,_ I thought.

"It's only an hour's wait," said Zelda. "That isn't too long.

On the contrary, it was one of the longest hours of my life.

* * *

><p>The Great Fairy Sword's iridescent blade came to a halt at the end of my swing, the tip quivering only slightly as I held my pose. After a moment, I began the motions of an overhead swing, going through it slowly, meticulously, and focusing on keeping my movements smooth and precise. I stepped forward with my right foot as my arm began its descent, an action which, at full speed, would give the blade some extra momentum. The tip of the sword traced a smooth arc through the air and came to rest an inch above the grass of Termina Field.<p>

Normally when I did this exercise, I would steadily increase the speed of my swings, but that would only tire me out. I did not want to be tired when it was finally time for the battle, so I kept my speed slow so I could warm up my muscles without causing myself too much exertion. It helped that the Great Fairy Sword was lighter than most other swords of its size.

At the end of my next stroke, I heard Kai approaching me from behind and turned to face him.

"You have excellent form," he said. "Are you really self-taught?"

"For the most part, yes," I replied, resting the flat of the blade on my shoulder. "I've always moved in a way that felt natural to me. When I took part in one of the Castle Guards' sparring matches, I was told that the only thing I really needed to work on was my footwork. Aside from that, I was a natural."

"The Zealous Deity uses a rapier, and he would always prattle on about footwork to me. He always considered two-handed swords like mine 'unwieldy' and 'barbaric.' Even after all the times I beat him he insisted it was because he had lost his balance." He grinned. "Whenever he said that, I would tell him his footwork was too fancy and he should work on making it more simple." We both laughed at that.

"You two seem to be enjoying yourselves," Zelda said, approaching.

"Yeah, I-" I began, but at that moment, I felt something in the air. I looked around, searching for what could have caused the feeling, and my eyes settled on a black dot that had appeared in the air above the hollowed-out log. Well, I say it's black. But there's black, and then there's the color that dot was. Picture the darkest black, then put that black in a room with absolutely no light. Now multiply how black that is by… oh, let's say twelve. That's how black this dot was.

"What is…" I heard Kai say. He was also looking at the dot. His expression turned to one of shock. "Oh, SHIT! GET DOWN, BOTH OF YOU!" he yelled. Before he even finished speaking, it happened. The dot started to grow.

An unbelievable gale rose up, knocking us from our feet and dragging us toward the hole. My hat was ripped from my head and I watched helplessly as it sailed away and disappeared into the blackness, which was now the size of a full grown man.

"Grab hold of something!" Kai shouted over the roar of the wind. "Unless you want to fall into the void between dimensions!"

My fingers found the root of a tree and closed around it tightly. The hole in reality continued to expand, and I felt my feet lift off the ground as the pull grew even stronger. The wind was deafening; I started to wonder if there would be any atmosphere left after this. I could hardly breathe as it was!

The hole was now more than ten feet in diameter, and my fingers were starting to loosen on the tree root I was grasping for dear life. I heard a scream and saw Zelda fly past me, but before she was even ten feet from the log, the hole closed as suddenly as it had appeared.

Free of its pull, my body fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. I groaned with pain and rose slowly to my feet. I saw Zelda on the ground, gasping for breath. Her fall must have knocked the wind out of her. Then my gaze rose to the top of the hollowed-out log, and I froze in shock at what I saw.

Majora had changed. She was now as tall as Kai, more than twice my height. Her slender physique had been replaced by one that was muscular and intimidating. Her long ivory hair was gone, replaced by ten 3-inch long spikes like those on the mask. She bared her pointed teeth at me in a horrible grin as her orange eyes stared into my soul, filling me with panic.

"There he is," Majora said. I recoiled at the sound of her voice; it was deeper now, and distorted in such a way that it grated against the eardrums. "The Hero of Time, chosen bearer of the Triforce of Courage, slayer of countless fiends, savior of Hyrule and Termina alike." Her smile vanished. "But I've found your weakness." She raised her arm, revealing the figure of a young red-haired girl whom Majora was holding by the neck.

"Romani…" I muttered. She appeared unharmed, and she was even struggling against Majora's grip, kicking her dangling legs and prying at the demon's fingers.

"Release the girl, Majora," Kai said. "Your business is with us."

"Yeah!" Romani shouted. "Let me go so I can help beat your worthless ass into the grou- ack!" Her words were cut off as Majora's grip tightened around her throat.

"Please," Majora scoffed. "You think to defeat me like this? A boy, a half-trained Shiekah, and a pseudo-god who hasn't even recovered half of his power yet?" She laughed, and even Kai winced at the harshness of the sound. "And you think to defeat _me?!_ This is too easy!"

She leaped down from the log, and I felt the impact through the ground. "You want your farm girl?" she asked. "Take her!" And she tossed Romani at me as a child throws aside a toy they've finished playing with. I dropped the Great Fairy Sword and tried to catch her, but she was moving so fast that she knocked me over.

Before I even had time to recover I felt Romani's arms wrap around me. "Hi, Romani," I murmured, returning the embrace. "I was worried about you."

"I know," she said, pushing herself up so I could see her face as she smiled. "But I'm a tough girl. You know that!"

I smiled back. "Yeah. I know." She helped me to my feet.

"Awww," said Majora mockingly, "you two are so cute I could just puke."

Romani's expression turned as fiery as her hair and she whirled around to face Majora. "I can't wait to lay the smackdown on that bitch!" she said heatedly.

"No!" I blurted, grabbing her shoulder and spinning her back around. "You need to go into town and find Cremia. I promised her you would be safe."

"I helped you before, at the Carnival!" she protested.

"Yes, and I'm still grateful for that. But she wasn't nearly as powerful then as she is now."

"What about _her?_" Romani said indignantly, pointing at Zelda. "Why is she fighting?"

"I don't want her here either," I said, "but at least she knows enough magic to defend herself from Majora."

"Don't worry, Romani," Zelda said, winking. "I'll look after him for you."

Romani looked between me and Zelda, then nodded. "Kick that demon's ass, okay Grasshopper?" she said.

"Absolutely," I said with a grin. I watched her as she ran off into Castle Town, allowing myself another smile at the obscene gesture she made toward Majora as she passed.

"Well, now that the pre-battle drama is out of the way," Majora said, settling into a ready stance, "let us begin."

* * *

><p>It is… difficult for me to write about the events of this battle. Nayru told me that I would have to experience a great deal of pain to access the true power of the Triforce. I never imagined what the true price of that power would be. Even as I write these words, months after the fact, I struggle to come to grips with what happened. Zelda told me writing about it may help me cope, and though I doubt it, I will do my best to recount what transpired.<p>

I remember the beginning of the battle did not go well. Our strategy went downhill almost immediately due to Majora's unprecedented size and power. Every time I tried to get some distance from her, her longer strides caught up with me within moments and I was picked up and thrown like a sack of potatoes into one of my allies. Eventually, I had had enough.

After being thrown into Kai for the billionth time, I said, "Buy me some time. It's time to change the tide." He grunted in acknowledgement and sprinted toward Majora, whirling the Helix Sword over his head as he sounded a fierce battle cry.

"HELLO, SWEETIE!" Majora shouted with a savage grin. She flicked her wrists, summoning her signature whips, then jumped backwards to get out of the way of Kai's swing. As Kai leaped into the air after her, Majora sprung into action. A few deft movements wrapped Kai in the whips, and as she landed on the ground a moment later, she swung him once around her head and then, with a sickening sound which was a combination of _thud_ and _crunch_, slammed him into the ground so hard that I felt a tremor run through the earth under my feet.

My jaw dropped level with my knees, not only at Majora's display of power, but at the fact that Kai was able to jump up a moment later, break out of the whips and charge once more at Majora with blinding speed. If I had been on the receiving end of that attack, I would be dead. It also became clear to me at that moment that Majora had been playing with us for the ten minutes we had already been fighting. She knew Kai was trying to buy me time, so she'd taken the kid gloves off to beat the living shit out of Kai while he was on his own.

_Well,_ I thought, _I'll show her what she gets for that!_

As quickly as I could, I charged up the Great Fairy Sword and called upon the power of Din. The red lightning bolt dropped out of the sky and coursed through me, filling me with unspeakable power and reckless abandon. Kai had turned Majora's back to me, and I took advantage. I crossed the hundred-some feet between myself and Majora in the space of a second and sheathed my blade in her abdomen as Kai's sprouted from underneath her right shoulder. Majora's scream of pain and rage filled the air briefly before Zelda filled her mouth with a fireball and blew it up.

Needless to say, there wasn't a lot left of Majora's upper body after that. As I gazed up at the ruined body I still had my sword through, I almost thought we had won right then and there. I really wish we had. But no, that would have been too easy.

I watched in fascination and horror as Majora's body rebuilt itself before my very eyes; first bones, then muscles and veins, and finally her skin. I don't have the words to describe the way it happened, but it is the single most disturbing thing I have ever borne witness to.

I became aware that my arms were shaking, and not from me. Majora was literally shaking with rage. I pulled the Great Fairy Sword out and jumped away from Majora, landing in a ready stance. Majora began to growl, faintly at first, then escalating in volume.

"You…" she said, her voice low and indescribably venomous. "You… little… _fucking… __**CUNT!**_" I recoiled at the sheer power of Majora's voice as she whirled to face Zelda, her orange eyes literally the size of saucers and blazing with rage the likes of which I had never seen before and will probably never see again. I wasn't even the person her gaze was directed at and I found myself paralyzed by its sheer intensity.

Majora's next movement could only be seen as a blur. The next thing I knew, Majora was more than a hundred feet away, holding Zelda by the neck at arm's length. Zelda was motionless, her face frozen in terror and already a faint shade of blue. My heart was pounding in my chest. I had to do something. Fast. But what could I do? If Majora saw me doing anything, she might kill Zelda right then and there.

As I stood there in fear for my friend's life, Kai took action. He ran in a circle around Majora and fired two blue-white discs before launching himself toward the demon. The first disk severed the hand holding Zelda, and the second forced Majora to dodge away from Kai as he flew past, catching Zelda and landing in a skid that left ten foot-long ruts in the ground. With Zelda safe for the time being, my mind cleared and I sprung into action to buy Zelda time to recover.

As Majora landed from her dodge, I leaped high into the air, raising the Great Fairy Sword over my head. Majora saw me coming from the corner of her eye and readied herself to catch my blade. Just as I expected. Instead of bringing the sword down onto Majora, I swung it around, using its weight to send me into a spin that added even more force to my foot when it connected with the demon's skull. As Majora staggered back from the force of my kick, I flipped the Great Fairy Sword to a backhand grip and swung it around again, burying it in her shoulder. Using the blade as a pivot, I swung around her, wrapping my legs around her neck. I tore the Great Fairy Sword out of her shoulder and, with a savage cry of victory, rammed it up under her jaw and out the top of her head. Immediately afterward, Kai seemed to materialize out of nowhere to bury the Helix Sword to the hilt in Majora's callous heart.

The demon was motionless for a few moments, and I dared to think we had won again. I quickly cast that thought aside, determined not to be lulled into a false sense of security. I caught Kai's eye and an unspoken decision passed between us. In unison, we twisted our blades. Majora shuddered and groaned with pain.

"Shit!" I said. "We need to finish her off, now! What do we do?!"

"Light Arrow!" Kai barked. "Switch to Nayru, quick!"

I tore the Great Fairy Sword out of Majora's head and jumped off of her back, already charging the blade… but I forgot about the effect Din's power had on my ability to channel magic. I wasn't going to make it in time.

"Grrrrrr_aaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!_" Majora screamed, her body beginning to glow red.

"NO!" Kai yelled. "FU-"

He was cut off as Majora's anger literally exploded.

* * *

><p>The following was related to me by Cremia. After hearing and feeling the explosion from within the Clock Tower, where everyone had taken shelter, Romani jumped to her feet.<p>

"What was that?" she said. "Do you think it's over?"

"Perhaps," Mayor Dotour said. "But who was the victor?"

"Link," Romani said automatically. "Any second now, he's going to waltz through the door with that goofy grin and make some stupid joke."

"We can't be certain of that," Dotour said.

"Then I'll go out there and _make_ it certain," Romani announced.

"Funny," Cremia said, grabbing her sister's arm. "Because in the real world, you're staying right here until Link _does_ walk through the door with a goofy grin and a stupid joke."

"Ugh, Cremia!" Romani protested. "Come on! What if he needs help?"

"Why don't you send out a couple of guards, father?" Kafei asked.

"_Guards?_" Romani scoffed. "What are they gonna do?"

"What are _you_ going to do?!" Cremia countered shrilly.

Romani met her sister's eyes. "I'm not going to cower in here like a frightened rabbit," she said. "I'm going to make a difference."

If only Cremia had been able to keep her hold on Romani's arm.

* * *

><p>My head was pounding. Slowly, I became aware that I was lying on my back, then that I was no longer channeling the Triforce of Power, and finally that my body felt like I'd just been in the center of a Goron group hug. The ringing in my ears faded, revealing a low growling underneath it.<p>

_Majora,_ I thought. _Shit._ I tried to sit up, but my muscles screamed in agony at the effort. I had the idea to use the Great Fairy Sword as a crutch but it was no longer in my hand.

"Inconceivable," I heard Majora say. "To think I could some so close to defeat… and that _he_ should be a part of it…" I managed to roll onto my side and curl up slightly so that I could see Majora walking wearily to Kai, who was also on his back.

_Light Arrow,_ I thought. _While she's off guard._ Without taking my eyes off of her, I started reaching for my bow, ignoring my body's complaints.

"I had hoped… you would come back to me," Majora was saying. She knelt down next to Kai and stroked his cheek. "I know I was not as pretty or kind as she… Perhaps that was why you left…"

I reached for an arrow but stopped as I saw a tear fall from Majora's eye. "My sorrow turned to rage, and that rage blinded me. All I wanted to do was make others suffer as I have. When you left… it was as though you had dropped the moon on top of me." She gave a weak laugh. "It sounds so silly in retrospect."

She was crying now, tears falling from both eyes as she bore her soul to the unconscious Fierce Deity. Something in the back of my mind screamed at me to attack, but seeing Majora like that… I couldn't. I know not whether it was pity or empathy which stayed my hand, but regardless, it is my greatest regret that I did not attack when I had the chance.

"I did not want it to end this way," Majora said quietly, removing her hand from Kai's cheek and flexing her fingers. "But you allied yourself with the boy. I'm so sorry, beloved, but in my eyes, that is still _treason!_" And just like that, the spell was broken: the madness was back in Majora's voice and as she raised her hand to deliver a death blow, I nocked the arrow and charged it up. Majora heard the hum of the Light Arrow and her eyes snapped to me just as I let it fly. It struck her square between the eyes… but I had been hasty, and the arrow was not powerful enough. With a snarl, Majora rose to her feet and stomped towards me. I tried to stand so I could have half a chance at defending myself, but it was hopeless. Majora came closer and closer and closer.

This was it. This was how I died. Alone, broken and defenseless on the field of battle. No honor. The closer Majora got, the more I could see her eyes and the turmoil that raged within her. No matter how much she glared at me though, I refused to cower or back away. I would not give her the satisfaction of knowing I died in fear.

And then it happened when Majora was only a couple yards away. The Great Fairy Sword sprouted from Majora's chest and Romani's voice rang out: "Get away from my boyfriend, you bitch!"

"_YOU!_" Majora roared, whirling around and in so doing pulling herself off the blade. "I AM _FED UP_ WITH YOUR _BULLSHIT!_" She grabbed Romani by the hair and swung around to face me again. "Get a good look, boy!" Majora raged, holding Romani out toward me. "It's the last time you'll see her whole!" And before I could even react, Majora rammed her fist through Romani's stomach, splattering me with her hot, crimson blood.

I have seen some shit in my time as a warrior. I have seen plenty of blood, both my own and my comrades'. But never, _ever_, have I been coated with someone else's blood, and I hope never to experience that feeling again. It is impossible to describe the horror I felt at that moment, as Romani stared at me with her mouth open in a scream that she could not vocalize, as her blood trickled down my face and arms leaving scarlet trails, as Majora wrenched her gore-coated fist out of Romani and grinned savagely at the look in my eyes.

I tried to call Romani's name, tried to do something, _anything_ if it meant that it would turn back time or wake me from what was surely a nightmare. But my voice would not work, I was not dreaming, and even if I could have found the breath to play the Song of Time, it had not manipulated time for me in many years. I could do nothing but watch as Majora threw back her head and laughed. Fucking laughed. She looked me in the eye with a shit-eating grin and _fucking laughed._

When she was done laughing, she tossed Romani to the ground next to me. "Better say good bye quick, Link," she crooned playfully. "She doesn't have much time."

I forced my body into a kneeling position and gently cradled Romani's head in my arms. "Romani," I whispered. "Romani… I…" I couldn't say anything. What the hell was I supposed to say? How does anyone say anything when someone they love is dying in their arms?

"Link," Romani murmured, "I'm sorry..."

"No," I said at last. "No, don't be sorry."

Somehow, she found the strength to smile through her agony. "Thank you," she breathed.

I managed to smile back, but it was too late. Her eyes had already glazed over.

She was gone.

Something broke inside me as I stared into Romani's lifeless eyes. For a while I could not find the will to cry or scream or be angry. I was totally numb.

But then Majora started to laugh again.

My eyes dropped to the Great Fairy Sword, still held in Romani's slack grip. My hand closed around it, and suddenly my emotions returned… and I was _furious._

A wordless scream made from pain and sorrow and anger leapt up my throat as I whirled around to face Majora. Magic coursed through my body in a volume I had rarely been able to produce, all flowing into the blade of the Great Fairy Sword. The sky darkened as I raised the Great Fairy Sword into the air, still screaming. Red, blue and green lightning bolts all fell from the sky, collided with each other and merged into a single golden bolt which ran down the blade and into my body. A rush of power filled me, so great that I felt my body would be torn apart from the sheer amount of energy rushing through it.

Majora wasn't laughing anymore.

I closed my eyes until the rush of energy ceased, revelling in the power I now wielded. I felt like I could level a mountain with a single swipe of my blade. A primal fury burned deep in my core, tempered only by the effects of the Wisdom Pendant. When I opened my eyes again, it was to see Majora showing an emotion I had never seen her display before: fear.

I saw it only for a split second before she hid it, but that was enough. I knew Majora was afraid of me now, and I drew some sort of satisfaction from that as I pointed the Great Fairy Sword at the demon.

"Come, then," she said. "Let us finish this!"

I slid my hand down the flat of the blade, coating it in a pure, white light identical to that created by Light Arrows. "As you wish," I said quietly. I began to walk toward Majora.

She snapped a whip at me. It pinged harmlessly off of the Courage Armor. She snarled and launched a salvo of dark magic blasts at me. I swept them aside with my shining blade without breaking my stride.

"Is that all you have?" I asked. "Is this the Demon Queen's last stand? _Pitiful._" I swung at the demon, and she dodged. I swung again and again and again as the anger in my core started to burn brighter and brighter. "What's the matter, Majora?" I yelled, my blade now a blur as I matched Majora move for move. "Have you lost the will to fight back? Or are you no more than a dancer?"

She snarled again and lashed out with a kick. A swipe of my blade removed her leg, and this time it did not grow back. She screamed in pain and used her remaining leg to leap at me. I had only to raise my arm and watch as she impaled herself on it. She growled and seized my wrist, pulling herself closer.

A burst of magic surged through me, channeling down the blade in a blast of blinding white light that launched Majora backwards to land in a heap half a bowshot away. She did not have the strength to scream anymore; all she could do was groan. I knew my victory was at hand.

Without giving her a chance to recover, I stabbed my blade up through her stomach, into her ribcage. Magic flowed down the blade, sending waves of light coursing through the demon's body. Slowly, Majora's purple skin began to glow until her entire body shone with the pure white light of the Goddesses.

"Farewell, Majora," I said, and a final blast of light shattered her body into glowing white dust.

So ended Majora the Demon Queen.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Well, I half-expect everyone to hate me now, although I know a lot of people saw this coming.<strong>_

_**One chapter left, everybody. I'm going to save all of the important stuff I usually talk about for the ending note of that last chapter. It shouldn't be too long before it's up. Maybe a week or two. Of course, having said that, it will now be a whole year before the story finally comes to a close!**_

_**Naaaaaah, I would never do that to you guys!**_

_**Please review! It's a great way to share your thoughts and help me feel super-special-awesome!**_

_**See you in the final chapter.**_

_**-Norkix-**_


	21. Finding Peace

_**Hey, everyone! It's finally here! The long-awaited conclusion!**_

_**Wow, this chapter was hard to write. Even without my usual procrastination and chronic bouts of writer's block, this chapter was a beast. The problem was that while I had planned the events leading up to the end, I didn't actually have an ending per se. This led to a lot of fretting on my part because I didn't want to simply tie up a few loose ends and slap you in the face with a dissatisfying "The End" when I know full well I may not ever get around to writing the sequel I had planned.**_

_**This is the result of my desire to give you all a satisfying ending while still leaving the possibility of a sequel. I hope you will find it acceptable.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

><p><em>The sun shone brightly down upon Hyrule Plain, the lush green grass and gently rolling hills spread out before me as Epona carried me across its expanse. A pair of arms was wrapped around my torso; I looked behind me to see Romani, her crimson hair flying in the wind, the sunlight making it shine like a flame in the dead of night. She grinned at me, blushing lightly. I smiled back.<em>

"_Hold on tight," I said, and with a nudge to Epona's flanks, we were flying across the grassy hills. Romani's arms tightened around me and I felt her nuzzle me, her lips brushing gently across the back of my neck. I shuddered with pleasure and happiness, feeling a welcome pressure form against the inside of my pants._

"_Liked that, huh?" she teased. "How about this?"_

_Oh no, what was she gonna- yuuup yupyupyupyup YUUUUUUP!_

_The sensation of her tongue tracing a heart on the back of my neck practically made me melt. I fell off of Epona, rolling to a stop on my back as Romani's laughter echoed out over the plains. She stopped Epona, then dismounted and jumped on top of me before I could pick myself up, pinning my arms to the grass._

_She smiled down at me, her dark blue eyes brimming with laughter as she started to lower herself onto me. "Well, _somebody's _happy," she said as her body pressed against the overly tight seam of my pants._

"_You have no idea," I murmured, pushing my head up towards her beaming face._

_Our lips met, and ecstasy flooded my brain._

_When we finally broke apart, the air turned suddenly cold. Romani looked up at something behind me and screamed as a huge purple hand closed around her torso and pulled her into the air. I leapt to my feet, the Great Fairy Sword appearing in my hand in a flash of purple light._

_A gigantic Majora, more than 50 feet tall, towered over me, clutching Romani in her fist. Her laughter boomed out across the plains as she tore Romani's dress off, leaving her in her undergarments. She turned Romani sideways, one hand gripping her under her arms, the other by her legs. Then she pulled._

_Romani's screams pierced the air. I could only watch in horror as the skin on her abdomen stretched, split, and finally broke open as she was torn in half. Blood and viscera rained down on me as Majora's triumphant laughter boomed in my eardrums…_

* * *

><p>My eyes snapped open as I let out a small gasp. I was laying on a bed in the Stock Pot Inn's 'Knife Chamber.' A fire crackled merrily in the fireplace and over it, I could just make out a quiet conversation being held by people on the other side of the room.<p>

"...ky to be alive," an unfamiliar voice was saying. "The bodies of humans are not meant to contain that much raw magical energy. It could have fried his nervous system if he wasn't careful." The voice was undeniably feminine and despite the fact that the speaker was talking quietly, her voice conveyed a sense of great strength.

"You speak as though you _aren't_ human," Anju's voice interjected. "Just who are you, anyway? Where did you come from? I know for a fact I haven't seen you around before today. How do you know-"

The woman with the strong voice laughed lightly. "Peace, Anju. You have nothing to fear from me. I have known Zelda and Link since they were no more than babes."

"Anju, it's fine. Really," Zelda's voice piped up. "Din has my complete and total trust."

Din? Like, _the_ Din?

Anju scoffed, then there was the sound of her high-heeled shoes clacking across the floor. She was in my vision for just a moment as she opened the door and stepped through, slamming it behind her.

The woman Zelda had called Din laughed again as the sound of Anju stomping down the stairs receded. "She is quite the drama queen, is she not?" she said. Zelda did not reply, but I heard her walking towards my bed. I closed my eyes as I felt her sit on the edge of the bed.

"I'm really worried about him," she said. "After Navi left… I had never seen him so sad. It took years for him to get over it. And now this…" I felt her hand stroke my head gently. "I can't imagine what this is going to do to him." And with those words came the realization. A weight dropped into my stomach as a wave of emotion broke over me.

Romani was dead.

I opened my eyes, feeling them fill with tears. My body began to shake with silent sobs.

"Link?" Zelda asked in a shocked voice. "Din, he's awake!" She pulled me to a sitting position and embraced me, whispering, "Shh, shh… it's alright. It'll be okay…"

Romani was dead.

I cried into Zelda's shoulder, trying to find what comfort I could in her friendship as she consoled me over and over again with empty sentiments about how everything was going to be okay.

I don't know how long I cried for. With every tear I shed, a void grew within me, a ravenous hole that started to eat me from the inside out.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned, looking up to see a muscular, tan-skinned woman with short black hair and crimson eyes giving me a sad smile. I could just make out a red aura outlining her body, identifying her as the true Din, Goddess of Power.

"You fought well, Link," she said. "You won a great victory. I am proud of you."

I punched her in the face with all my strength.

"Link!" Zelda cried, but I ignored her, jumping up and tackling the goddess to the floor. All of my sorrow had turned to rage when I saw Din.

"YOU KNEW!" I roared, smashing my knuckles into her jaw. "YOU KNEW AND YOU DID _NOTHING!_" I raised my fist again, but Zelda seized my arm before I could bring it down.

"Link, stop!" she yelled. "Think about who-"

"I DON'T CARE!" I screamed, breaking out of Zelda's grip and pounding Din's face once more. "YOU KNEW SHE WOULD DIE AND YOU SAT THERE WITH YOUR _THUMBS UP YOUR ASSES!_"

Din's eyes flashed as she pressed her hand against my chest, her aura intensifying. I felt my skin tingling where her hand touched me. I laughed madly.

"GO AHEAD, BITCH! VAPORIZE ME! I DON'T! FUCKING! _CARE!_ TAKE MY LIFE! TAKE IT AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR MOST HOLY OF TWATS!" I spread my arms wide so her hand was the only thing holding me up and looked directly into her eyes. She stared back at me, crimson eyes blazing with angry fire.

"Take it," I said quietly. "Isn't it already yours? I've devoted it to your service. I've gambled with it in your name. This marks the third time that I've done what you asked of me and only lost what was precious to me. I have nothing left to give, _NOTHING_!"

The room was eerily silent after my outburst, broken only by the sounds of Zelda crying softly. Din did not reply to me right away, her eyes gazing into mine. Neither of us broke eye contact, not even to blink.

Then the fire faded from her eyes. The tingling where her hand touched me stopped, and she pushed me off of her, saying, "I will take nothing from you, child." She stood and walked to the other side of the room.

"Then once," I said, standing, "just _once_, I beg of you: give back to me instead. Bring her back. She was innocent. She deserves better than what she got. Please," I added, my voice breaking.

The goddess turned and gave me a sorrowful look. "I would. Believe you me, if I could grant your request I would do so in a heartbeat. But I am afraid it is impossible." She raised a hand as I began to protest. "Speak not until I have explained," she said. "You know of necromancy, yes?"

"Yes," I replied. "It's the school of magic that is responsible for ReDeads and Gibdo."

"Exactly," said the goddess. "Now, understand that when Nayru, Farore and I came to exist, we each were given a special ability. I have control over matter. Nayru has control over certain aspects of physics, including time. And Farore is able to create souls. In a sense, we are just like you, except that our magic is more refined and we have nigh unlimited energy with which to use it."

Din paused and bit her lip before continuing. "You must understand that we ourselves are not entirely sure of our origins. We do not understand what makes our magic different from yours. A human mage who tries to create matter or manipulate time without a catalyst such as the Ocarina of Time is likely to die. While it is possible for a human to create a soul through an extremely arduous process, thus the existence of necromancy, the souls are…" She cast around for the right word. "Unstable. Impure. There is no sapience in the minds of beings with necromantic souls. There is something missing; something only Farore is able to provide."

My mind was reeling. I had always taken the fact that the Goddesses had created the world for granted, never questioning where they had come from. The fact that they themselves did not know their origins was… inconceivable. I shook my head, pushing the revelation to the back of my mind to deal with later; Din was still speaking.

"Understand also that Farore only _creates_ souls. She gives life. However, she cannot restore it once it has been lost. It is beyond her ability, just as creating new matter is beyond mine." She sighed deeply and looked somberly into the fire. "There are some things even we Goddesses cannot do," she finished quietly.

My eyes grew blurry once more as the void inside me grew. My knees gave out, and I sank to the floor. Romani was dead, and nothing could be done. My shoulders shook as I cried quietly. "She didn't deserve this," I whispered. "She had nothing to do with Majora! _She didn't deserve this!"_ I yelled. The room fell silent once more.

Then the door opened and a flat voice spoke. "No, she didn't."

Another weight dropped into my stomach as I turned to face Cremia. Her eyes were red and puffy, her appearance disheveled. She closed the door quietly as she stepped into the room, her expression blank. She walked to me, looking down at me with eyes that showed the sorrow she carried with her.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

Cremia pulled me to my feet and hugged me. I was still for a moment, shocked by her gentle embrace. "I'm sorry too," she said. Her words snapped me out of my surprise and I returned her embrace as she lowered her head, speaking directly into my ear.

"I know you couldn't do anything," she said gently. "I know you couldn't…" Then her tone became icy as she finished, "...but that doesn't change the fact that this is your fault." Her words hit me with the force of a charging Moblin. My knees, already weak, turned to jelly as the void within me grew even larger.

_My fault_, I thought. And she was right. Of course she was right. Majora had targeted Romani for no other reason than the fact that I would do anything to protect her. If I hadn't become so close to Romani, she would never have been kidnapped or killed. Everything Cremia had - her ranch, her sister, her _entire life as she knew it _- was lost. Gone.

Because of me.

_My fault._ The words reverberated in my head, knocking things into the void. _My fault._ And it wasn't just Cremia I had hurt, everyone in Clock Town had suffered because of me. When I looked back on the times I had been in Clock Town over the last few days, I realized that there were buildings that were being rebuilt. They had been smashed when the Guardians attacked on the night of the Carnival. I hadn't given it a thought at the time, but the realization hit me full force at that moment.

People's homes had been destroyed. Hell, some people might even have been _killed_. And I hadn't noticed. My infatuation with Romani had blinded me to the suffering of those around me. When I came back from Snowhead with no clues as to where Majora could be, what did I do? Did I ask around for clues? Did I take a moment to try and figure out what she could've been planning next? Did I do _anything at all_ that would have been beneficial to my quest to stop the demon?

No. I got into a fight with my girlfriend. In front of the whole damn town.

"I'm sorry," I said again, my voice small and weak. It was a meaningless sentiment; all the damage had already been done.

"I know," Cremia whispered. She pulled away and took my chin in her hand, forcing me to look up into her eyes. I could see the turmoil of her emotions in them. Her gaze pierced me for what felt like an eternity. At last, she closed her eyes and released me… then made a fist and smashed it into my face.

I fell backwards, my head striking the hard wood of the floor. I lay there, my vision slightly blurred, dimly aware of Zelda crying out my name. I wanted Cremia to keep hitting me. I wanted her to beat me into a senseless, bloody heap. It was no more than I deserved.

"I know," Cremia repeated, her flat, cold voice piercing through my daze. "But… I can never forgive you for this." I raised my head to look at her as she turned away, walking towards the door. She stopped with her hand on the knob. "The funeral is next week," she said quietly. Then, with a tone venomous enough to rival Majora's, she continued, "Don't even think about coming. I never want to see your face again."

An icy dagger stabbed into my heart as the door slammed behind her. The cold spread through my body, turning everything numb as I let my head fall back to the floor. I couldn't cry anymore. I wasn't angry. There was nothing left to feel except the emptiness of the void within me.

I was broken.

* * *

><p>Death is like a knife. Eventually, everybody gets cut. Some people get cut over and over again. Some cuts are deeper than others. Some cuts never truly heal, and you carry a scar for the rest of your life.<p>

I've been cut a lot. Most of the cuts have healed. I've come to terms with the fact that I'll never know my parents. I know a lot of people were killed during the seven years of Ganondorf's reign, but the circumstances were out of my control, and I've come to terms with that too.

But I have my share of scars. The Deku Tree was the first. I still blame myself for not destroying Gohma quickly enough to save it. The Deku Tree was the closest thing to a father I ever had. It took me in and raised me as one of its own, and when it had asked for my help, I wasn't able to repay the debt.

When I returned to Castle Town after obtaining the last Spiritual Stone, Ganondorf had laid siege to the castle. A wounded guard lay dying in a deserted alleyway. Zelda had told him to find me and direct me to the Temple of Time. I screamed for help, but it was too late. He died in my arms. I watched the life fade from his eyes. It was my first time seeing death up close, and I don't think I will ever forget it.

One of the biggest scars is Kakariko Village. I had just received the Spirit Medallion from Nabooru, and only had one left to find. By that time, I had garnered quite a reputation as a hero. I had seen the hope that lit people's faces when they saw me. Hope that I would finally end Ganondorf's tyranny, hope that their children would have a brighter future.

On my way to Kakariko Village to begin my search for the final temple, I stopped to rest at Lon Lon Ranch. As I left a couple of hours later, I saw the smoke. I raced to Kakariko Village as fast as Epona could carry me, but it was already too late. Several buildings had burned down, and people had died. People had died because I had decided to put my feet up for a while. I hadn't needed to. I could've gone straight to Kakariko. At least then, I would have been there, and if I couldn't stop it from happening in the first place, I could at least have helped people. Even though the timeline had been reset and it technically never happened, it still weighs on my conscience.

Romani's death wasn't just a cut from death's knife, it was a stab. Cremia's words and the crushing realization they engendered twisted the knife. And as I lay on the floor of the Stock Pot Inn, my emotions seeped out through the wound. It didn't take long for me to bleed out.

Majora had wanted to see me broken. She'd wanted to bring me to the absolute lowest point she could muster and then put me out of my misery. In a way, she had succeeded. By killing Romani, and by extension forcing me to face my demons, she'd won. Majora had gotten her revenge. In fact, in that moment, as I lay still on the floor of the Stock Pot Inn, I think she succeeded more than she would have by killing me. At least if she had done that, I wouldn't have had to feel that horrible numbness.

* * *

><p>I can't imagine how Zelda must have felt over the days that followed Cremia's confrontation. I wasn't eating. I barely talked. When I managed to sleep, the emotional floodgates came down and I was plagued by nightmares of all the people I had failed to save, and she watched as I writhed and kicked, listened as I screamed and sobbed. She watched as my demons tore me apart right in front of her.<p>

She wanted to help. She wanted to hold me and shelter me from the hurricane of my tortured mind and soul. But what could she do? Seeing me like that and being unable to help… Nayru only knows how much she hurt.

Anju, however, made it quite clear how she felt. "Out!" she said one day, banging the door open. "You two have been holed up in here for days and now the entire inn smells like angst! I don't care what you do, I don't care where you go, but go outside and come back with a damn smile on your face or I'll nail your cheeks to your ears and _make_ you smile!"

Had I been any kind of lucid at the time, I would have marveled at how assertive the normally polite and timid innkeeper was. As it was, it seemed like I blinked and suddenly I had been punted off the second floor overhang. The only reaction I had as I plummeted toward the hard paving stones was, "Huh?" Fortunately, Zelda was already outside and slowed my fall with her magic. I still landed hard enough to wake me up a little.

I looked around for a moment, and it finally clicked that I was outside. "What?" I said dully.

"You dork," Zelda said, a small smile brightening her face as she pulled me to my feet. "Come on, let's walk."

I let her guide me through town, not quite as detached from the world as before, but no less reluctant to dive back into it like this. People whooped at me as we passed. I wished they wouldn't. It was like they refused to see how much harm I had done them just because I was considered a hero. I thought I had been the blind one, but the fact that they were still willing to praise me while houses lay in ruins just down the street… well, to be frank, I found it disturbing.

"What's the matter, Link?" Zelda asked me, stopping in front of the slide in North Clock Town. "You keep looking ashamed, no matter what people say to you! I know you don't like people making a big deal of you being a hero, but they're just thanking you."

"I don't deserve their thanks," I said, looking down at my boots.

"Um… what?" Zelda said, apparently baffled.

I felt a spark of anger jump out of the void. Was she as blind as they were? "Don't you get it?!" I said heatedly, glaring at her. "Didn't you see the wrecked houses? Didn't you see how miserable everyone looked before they saw us?!" She stared at me in shock, obviously not having expected this. The spark of anger ignited. "They're hurting, Zelda!" I yelled. "Majora may have been targeting me, but they're the ones who are suffering for it!"

"What are you-" Zelda started, but I was far from finished.

"They shouldn't be thanking me! They should hate me! They should beat me up! They should throw me out of Termina and forbid me from ever coming back, because it's my fault that they have to rebuild their lives! But _no!_" I shouted, punching the wall and splitting my knuckles on the weathered stone. "No, I'm a _hero!_ It doesn't matter that they were put in harms way because of me! It doesn't matter that their loved ones died because I wasn't fast enough or strong enough to protect them! In the end I saved them from the big monster and somehow that absolves me of all the blame!"

"Are you serious?" Zelda asked incredulously. "You're blaming yourself for… Is _that_ what Cremia said to you?!" she asked suddenly, her crystal blue eyes suddenly turning ice cold. "That _bitch!_ She blamed you for Romani didn't she?!"

"And why shouldn't she?" I retorted, throwing my arms up. "She has every right to! Majora took everything from her! You know why? Because _I_ made her a target! _ME!_" I screamed, jabbing my finger into my chest. "_I'm_ the one Majora wanted! _I'm_ the one who didn't kill Majora when she had her guard down! Romani only came out there because she wanted to protect _me!_ So don't you _dare_ stand there and tell me this isn't my fault, because it _IS!_"

"No, it's not! That's bullshit and you know it!" Zelda yelled back at me.

"Actually, it's very much his fault," said a new voice. Zelda and I both whirled to see Kai coming from the gate to Termina Field. "Sorry," he said, grinning at us, "I was just taking a jog around the town and couldn't help but overhear your little spat." He scratched his head and looked around. "Wouldn't be surprised if half the town heard you, to be honest."

"You're not helping," Zelda said, glaring at him. "I haven't even seen you since before Link woke up."

"So? Oh, right," Kai said nonchalantly. "It's custom among humans to visit one another when they're sick or recovering. I'm afraid I'm not quite so sentimental. You see, I haven't had a body for seven hundred years, and I've been busy enjoying it. Still need a good lay though… Wasn't Din here a few days ago? She always seemed like a good time-"

"NOT! HELPING!" Zelda yelled. "Also, _ew_."

"Well, excuuuuuuuuse me, Princess!" Kai said, throwing his arms wide. "Why don't _you_ go seven hundred years without getting some and see what happens to _your_ libido?"

They started to argue. I wasn't in the mood to deal with it, so I slinked away. I went to the South Gate and looked out at the field. There was a massive area of burnt and blackened grass where Majora had exploded. Other patches were still stained red from the blood that had been shed. Particularly noticeable was the large splatter that had come from Ro-

I froze, my body tensing as I remembered the feeling of her blood on my skin. I saw her face in my mind's eye, contorted in unimaginable pain, mouth wide in a silent scream, eyes fixing me with an accusing stare. She staggered towards me, her insides falling out of the gaping hole in her torso as she lifted her arms and grabbed my shoulders. "Help… me…" she breathed in my ear.

But I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I was paralyzed by the sight before me.

"Don't you love me?" she asked.

Of course.

"Do you want me to keep suffering like this?"

No!

"_Then why won't you help me?!_" And suddenly her voice was a long, low moan as before my eyes, Romani's flesh began to shrink and warp. It clung to her skull and turned a sickly brown as her hair fell off and her eyes rolled back into her head and decomposed, leaving empty black sockets. Her dress rotted and fell away, revealing an emaciated, necrotic body. The ReDead reached out and took my face in its clammy, skeletal hands. "_Kiss me, my love…"_

"Link? I say, boy, are you well?"

I jumped and looked around as the ReDead vanished. Mayor Dotour stood next to me, looking concerned. "You look like you've seen a ghost," he said. "Goodness, you're white as a sheet! What happened, lad?"

I became aware that my heart was racing a mile a minute. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself. "I'm… okay," I lied.

"Are you?" Dotour asked. "I haven't seen you since you were found unconscious out here and brought to the inn for medical attention. You seemed to be having some kind of fit just now."

I nodded, shuddering. "Yeah, I guess you could call it that…"

Dotour sat down on the wooden steps and patted the place next to him. "Come, sit down and tell me what it is that troubles you. Many people here say laughter is the best medicine, but I often find conversation to be a better cure for the troubles of the mind."

I sat next to him, making a point to avoid looking at the patch of blood-stained grass. "I… I feel like I've failed," I said slowly.

"Failed?" Dotour looked shocked. "How so? The demon is gone! How have you… Ah, the young ranch girl," the mayor said gently, his purple eyes looking at me understandingly. "I imagine Cremia had some strong words for you regarding her death."

I nodded. "She… she said it was my fault. And I realized… I realized that it is."

"You feel your, ah… relationship with her made her a target for the demon?"

"Yes, exactly." I let out a breath and looked up at the clear, blue sky. "And… it's not just that, but I… I never noticed it before a couple days ago, but the town took a lot of damage that night the Guardians attacked. People's homes were destroyed, and… were there any deaths?" I asked, looking back at Dotour.

"Thankfully, no," he replied, and I felt a small weight lift from my shoulders. "However…" I snapped my gaze back around to him. "Six young boys were injured."

"Six… the Bombers gang?!" I gasped.

The old mayor nodded. "Yes, although it was largely their own foolishness. They attempted to aid a family that had become trapped in their home by rubble. They managed to liberate the family, but as they were leaving in search of more people to help, the sizeable mound of rubble they had moved was toppled by a shockwave from one of the Guardians falling to the ground, and they got caught in it. They'll be fine," he said, holding up a hand to stop the outburst I was about to make. "Worry not. They are young, and the injuries were not too severe."

"It was still my fault," I insisted. "I was the one taking out the Guardians, if I had found another way-"

"Oh, rubbish!" Dotour exclaimed. "You did what you had to do, and it saved the lives of everyone in Clock Town. Why should we blame you for that?"

"Because I'm the reason any of this happened in the first place!" I said angrily, standing up. "I could have stopped this whole thing before it began! Majora was weak and nearly powerless when I first encountered her at Stone Tower, and I _still_ failed to stop her there! How can people still consider me a hero when I can't even-"

"I'm going to stop you there," Dotour interrupted, calmly taking off his glasses and beginning to polish them on his suit. "You seem to be comparing your feats to those of the great heroes in the old tales. The ones who overcame every adversity without a scratch, defeated their foe and ensured they could never rise again, and won the heart of the fairest maiden in the land. I'm going to tell you something about those stories that I think a lot of people forget."

"And what's that?" I asked, a little confused.

Dotour placed his glasses back on his nose, stood, and put his hand on my shoulder, a gentle smile on his face. "They are _stories_," he said. "They are meant to teach and entertain. We learn from them, and draw inspiration from them… but we do not live them. In real life, things can't always go the way we wish they would. Sometimes, we make mistakes. Sometimes, we lose what we hold most dear. Sometimes, we give everything we have, and it still isn't enough."

I wanted to argue, but the truth of his words gave me pause. I stood and listened as the mayor continued.

"You have done some amazing things, Link - things most people only dream of doing. People look up to you. They praise you for your feats and celebrate your presence because they want to thank you for giving them hope and repay you for what you've sacrificed to claim your victory. But beneath all the laurels and glamor of Link the Hero, they see Link the Person; the boy who is still young, still learning, and who bears the scars that Link the Hero shrugs off."

He took his hand from my shoulder and placed it over my heart. "They see your heart, Link. They see that you care about what has happened, that you care about _them_ and their well being. And _that_, more than how many monsters you've defeated, is what makes you a hero in their minds. So imagine what is going through their heads as they see you walking through the streets today, grief-stricken by the loss of Romani and blaming yourself for the things that they have lost. They see you hurting, and they think 'What is a house or a broken leg compared to the burdens _he _bears?'"

"So they pity me?" I asked irritably.

"No," the mayor said, looking shocked. "No, no. They are humbled by the burdens they see you bear, and it puts theirs in perspective. A home can be rebuilt, a crippled limb will heal, but wounds of the heart take a great deal of time and support to be restored. It is not an easy path you walk, but the people are doing what they can to aid you in traversing it."

I looked back up into the sky, my mind whirling. I had never looked at myself from the perspective of the people I'd helped before. Did I… really mean that much to them? The empty feeling receded a little as I considered this new perspective. I'd never wanted thanks for the things I'd done. I long ago accepted my destiny as the Hero of Time, but I didn't want that to put me above the other people. I grew up in a forest, for Din's sake!

But this… Knowing that people still saw me as a person and wanted to give me back some of the hope I delivered so freely… I could live with that. I still didn't want a parade or a feast in my honor, that was still putting me above people. But knowing that people cared about how I feel and would support me when I was in need of it cheered me up a little and helped to fill some of the void.

Still… Romani's death had been my fault. There was no denying that. Even if people could forgive me for getting their homes destroyed, I could not forgive myself for putting Romani in danger. My eyes closed as the void within me gnawed at my soul, trying to regain the ground it had lost. Then they snapped open again as I heard Zelda's voice coming from South Clock Town.

"YOU!"

I spun around and my heart leaped into my throat as I saw Zelda and Cremia in the middle of the square, the princess advancing menacingly on the rancher with an expression of sheer malice.

"You _whore!_" Zelda raged. "How _dare_ you blame Link for Romani! Do you have any idea what he's been like? Do you know how much he's suffering because of _you?!_" I had never seen Zelda like this; her eyes were like crystalline daggers and her fair features were twisted in an expression of untamed rage.

Cremia, to her credit, seemed unfazed. "No," she said calmly. "But it's good to know he's suffering. Maybe next time he'll think before putting someone else's family in danger."

Zelda's eyes flashed and her hands began to glow with magic. "YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" she screamed, arms rising in preparation to cast. I ran forward, the Great Fairy Sword appearing in my hand in flash of purple light. Zelda's hands filled with fireballs and she launched them at Cremia. I ran between her and the fireballs with the Great Fairy Sword raised in a defensive position. The spells struck the iridescent blade and dissipated.

"You!" Cremia exclaimed.

I kept my back to her, trying to honor her wish to never see my face again. "I apologize on behalf of my friend," I told her. "Her behavior was inexcusable. Please forgive her indiscretion-"

"MY behavior is inexcusable?!" Zelda seethed.

"Disturbing might be a better word," I replied. "Zelda, what are you doing?"

For a moment, she didn't reply. Then her eyes moved to her outstretched hands, small wisps of smoke still rising from her fingertips. She looked around at the shocked faces of the people who stood watching the spectacle. Mortified, she dropped her hands to her sides and looked down at her shoes, flushing.

I dismissed the Great Fairy Sword and walked to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's my choice, Zelda," I said. "I choose to take the blame for Romani's death. I don't know how I could respect myself if I didn't. I may never live it down… but I need you to be there for me."

She looked up at me, her eyes watering. "I know," she said. "It's just… I can't stand to see you like… like you were."

"Well, I'm better now," I said, looking back out the gate to Mayor Dotour, who smiled and nodded approvingly. "Well… a little better anyways. So no more attacking people, okay?"

"Hey, hey! Let me through!" a voice called from the crowd. A moment later, Colton Gorman pushed his way out towards us. He stared around, his eyes taking in Zelda, who was now crying openly, me, trying to console her, and Cremia, who was glaring at my back with thinly veiled contempt. "Did I… miss somethin'?" he asked.

Cremia shook her head and turned to the gate. "Come on, Colton. We're leaving." She turned and started to head out the gate.

"Wait!" Zelda cried. Cremia stopped, but didn't turn around. "At least… at least let Link come to her funeral!" I stared at her. "Please," she continued, "if you're going to blame him, at least let him have some closure. And I know…" She hesitated, weighing her words. "I know that Romani would want him there."

Cremia stiffened, her hands balling into fists. She turned, her mouth half-open, but she closed it and pursed her lips. She was silent for a few moments. Then, with a sigh, she turned her gaze downward and said, "So be it." And without another word, she strode out of the south gate, giving the mayor a curt nod as she passed.

Colton hurried to follow, and I grabbed his arm as he passed me. "Look after her," I said. "Please. The sorrow I feel nearly consumed me, but I fear it's only a fraction of what she carries." He looked down at me for a moment, sympathy in his eyes. Then he nodded and followed Cremia out the gate.

* * *

><p>Zelda and I returned to the Inn later that day, and despite the fact that I was still upset, I managed a smile for her. I spent the days leading up to Romani's funeral walking around Clock Town, talking with people and helping with the reconstruction. I found a small degree of solace in these interactions with people; despite the heaviness of my heart and the void that still gnawed at me, I found myself smiling, even laughing.<p>

But my dreams… Oh, those awful dreams. Every night, my dreams brought back the horror of Romani's death. Over and over, I felt her blood running down my skin. Over and over, she cried out for me to save her. Over and over, I woke in cold sweat and cried until I fell asleep again, only for another nightmare to come.

On the night before the funeral, as I woke from my third nightmare that night, I was surprised to see Kai sitting at the end of my bed, his spiky silver hair glowing ethereally in the moonlight. He had been avoiding coming into town, as he didn't want to scare people, so to see him, not only inside the walls of the town but inside a _building _was shocking to say the least. But what surprised me most were the words he spoke after my breathing had calmed.

"I wish I were more like you."

"What?" I said, confused.

"I... " He hesitated, searching for his words. "I wish I could… _feel _like you do. I… I thought… I thought that I loved her, but… she's gone and yet I feel _nothing!_" He punctuated his sentence by punching the wooden floor and turned away from me, his white eyes glistening in the moonlight spilling in through the window.. "And yet, here you are," he continued, his voice breaking, "unable to sleep because your beloved still haunts your thoughts."

I stared at him, incredulous. Where was this coming from?

"What does that say about me?" he asked, seemingly more to himself than to me. "Have I ever _truly_ loved? Am I incapable of any emotion aside from the anger I take my title from?" He looked back at me, tears beginning to fall down his face. "Am I incapable of love?"

I didn't know what to say. Kai had always seemed so tough, with his snide remarks and his devil-may-care attitude. Seeing him bearing his soul to me was such a vast departure from the way I had seen him that for a long time, I simply couldn't respond. At last, I said, "I don't think so."

"How so?" he asked indignantly. "Look back upon your battles with Majora. In both of them, it was your love and concern for Romani that gave you the strength to turn the tide and beat her back. And in Snowhead, while you were unconscious, Romani's love for you gave her the courage to take up your sword and protect you, at least until Majora became bored. The bond of love between you two was what gave you strength. And that is something I have never had the fortune to experience," he finished bitterly.

I sighed. "All the same, I don't think you're incapable of love. I saw some of your memories on the night of her first attack, and it was clear you have passion. And I think the fact that you're here right now, wondering why you don't feel anything for her shows that you care. Those are two very key components of love." I looked over to the bed where Zelda slept, the blanket rising and falling softly with her breathing. "I think the part you're missing is friendship.

"What?" Kai asked; clearly this wasn't the response he'd expected, if he'd expected one at all.

"When you get down to it, friendship is really the basis of love," I said. "Think about it. Everybody has friends that they care about and want to be there for. That's love in a nutshell." I looked back at Kai. "Sometimes, you find a friend that you just really click with, and things start to develop further from there."

"What does that mean?"

"It means…" I cast around for a nice, simple way to explain what I was trying to get across. "It means romance is love, but love isn't necessarily romance. You seem to think they go hand in hand." I looked back at Zelda again. "Take me and Zelda. We're best friends. I care about her and she cares about me. When she sees that I'm in trouble or feeling down, she wants to help, and I feel the same way about her. I love her, and I think she's gorgeous, but I don't have any romantic feelings for her." My gaze returned to Kai once more. "Maybe the problem is that you and Majora were never really friends at all."

"I suppose," Kai said thoughtfully, "we _were_ more like… what is the human term? 'Fuckbuddies?'"

"Gross."

Kai chuckled lightly. "So… friendship, eh? You know, I don't think I've ever had any true friends. Allies, yes… but not friends."

I smiled and rolled out of bed, walking over to him. "I'd say we're friends," I said, holding out my hand towards him.

He grinned as he shook his head. "You're so damn cheesy," he chuckled, taking my hand and shaking it. Then he tugged and I fell forward into his surprisingly gentle embrace. "Thanks, kid."

"For the love of Nayru, either kiss each other or go back to bed!" Zelda said, her voice muffled by the sheets.

Kai and I jumped at her sudden outburst. Kai looked at her as she rolled over to glare at us, then turned back to me and grinned before planting his lips on mine. I will admit, that was one of the more interesting experiences I've had. He pulled away with a wolfish grin, then put me down and stood, his head almost touching the ceiling. "Thanks again, Link. I have to go; the demons will desire retribution for Majora's defeat, and Din wants me on the front lines. It was an honor fighting with you. Farewell." And with a flash of light, he vanished.

I looked at Zelda, confused. She was staring slack-jawed at me, her face completely red. I couldn't think of anything to say, so I said what was going through my head. "He is a _really_ good kisser."

"_I'mgoingtothebathroom!_" Zelda said hastily, throwing off her covers and running out the door.

Girls are _weird_.

* * *

><p>The sun was bright in the sky as the funeral procession made its way to the Ikana Graveyard. It glinted on the polished wood of the casket that held Romani's body. It shone in the golden locks of Zelda's hair. It sparkled in the tears running down Cremia's cheeks.<p>

Dampé stood beside a freshly dug grave. He had forsaken his filthy brown gravedigging attire for a surprisingly dapper black suit. "Damn shame," he muttered as he looked at the casket. "She were so young…"

The small group of attendees including myself, Zelda, Cremia, Anju, Kafei, Barten, and a couple of other Clock Town residents that must have been Cremia's friends, gathered around the grave. The four soldiers carrying the casket set it down beside the hole as Mayor Dotour stepped forward and turned to face us, clearing his throat.

"_Among the ghosts and ancient stones,_

_We gather here today_

_To celebrate the life and death_

_Of one who goes away._

_Away where we can follow not,_

_A world beyond this place._

_Our prayers will serve to guide this one_

_Into death's warm embrace._"

The soldiers opened the casket and the attendees formed a line. Each passed by the coffin and touched Romani's forehead and whispered some parting words. Cremia stood at the front of the line, and when the person finished paying their respects, they stood before her and said a few words before regrouping in front of the mayor.

Zelda went ahead of me. She touched Romani's forehead and whispered, "I wish we had been able to know each other better. May Farore guide you to your final resting." And with that she approached Cremia, bowed apologetically, and embraced her as tears started to fall down her cheeks.

It was my turn. My heart pounded in my chest as I approached the casket. I prayed that the sight of her wouldn't give me another panic attack. My legs weighed three tons as I approached the side of the casket. I stood beside it for a moment, my eyes closed and not wanting to look down for fear of having a breakdown. Then I steeled myself and opened them.

She was beautiful. Her long red hair framed her face perfectly, and the small smile she had died with almost made it look like she was just having a good nap. She was dressed in a cream-colored dress that was not overly fancy, but still had some lace and other such things. I thought it appropriate; Romani had never been a frilly girl, but she was a girl nonetheless and deserved to look pretty on her last day in the light of the sun.

I looked at her for a long time, trying to cement the way she looked in my memory. Then, before touching her forehead as everyone else had, I pulled something from the pocket of the jacket of my suit. It was a small, hand-carved figurine of a horse. I had whittled it myself. It was by no means a masterpiece - in fact it was quite crude and probably could have been mistaken for a dog if not for the flying mane and tale - but it was my own work.

I laid the figurine in the coffin, then touched her forehead, suppressing a shudder as I felt her cold flesh against my fingertips. "I guess this is where I say goodbye," I began, my eyes already welling up. "I'm so sorry, Romani. I never wanted it to be this way. I wanted to stay with you. I wanted to work the ranch with you. I would have spent every moment I could with you. I…" My voice trailed off as I struggled to find words.

"I love you, Romani," I said, my voice breaking. "I love you so much. There is nothing I want more than to have you by my side. I…" There was so much more I wanted to say to her, but I could not find the words to express my feelings. What could I have said? Why say anything at all when she couldn't hear it? I closed my eyes and felt the tears run down my cheeks. Devoid of any further words, I simply leaned over her and gave her a final kiss, her lips cold, but soft. After one final look at her, I left the casket's side.

Cremia's gaze was hard as I approached her. "Is that all you have to say?" she asked. "You love her? That's it?"

"No," I replied quietly. "But it's all I know how to say. I think she would understand that."

Cremia nodded. "Yeah. She'd probably be the same if it were the other way around." She sighed, her gaze softening for a moment. "You two would have been good together. Nobody can deny that. And even though I got angry after that Snowhead fiasco… I was really, genuinely happy for you two. She was always so headstrong, I should've seen it coming!" She started to chuckle, but it turned into a sob. She covered her mouth with her hand as tears filled her eyes.

I felt a pang for her as I realized she'd been holding these tears back all day, possibly for a few days. I reached out and took her hand in mine and was relieved when she didn't push me away. Instead, she squeezed it tightly and I squeezed back. Tears fell down both of our cheeks as we mourned together, and together we walked back to the crowd gathered in front of the casket. She left me then to stand by Colton, and I reclaimed my place next to Zelda.

As Mayor Dotour delivered a short eulogy, I felt the void gnawing at me again. I barely listened, the words flowing in one ear and out the other without retention; I don't remember what was said. With the numbness spreading through me once more, I watched as Dotour finished the eulogy and nodded to the guards who had borne the casket.

They closed it with a dull _thunk_ that resonated in my mind with eerie finality. They then lifted it and began to slowly and gently lower it into the grave. Dampé took up his shovel and turned to the pile of earth next to the grave. There was an interim of silence, broken only by the first few shovelfuls of earth falling on the casket. Then, people began to move, giving Cremia a few final admonishments before taking their leave.

Cremia and I watched the entire burial, staying long after the others had gone. Colton stood with Cremia, and Zelda with me. Neither spoke, giving support simply through their presence. For a long time, the only sound was the steady rhythm of Dampé's digging and the stale Ikanan wind that occasionally blew through the graveyard. When the grave was filled, the old gravedigger nodded somberly to Cremia and me before setting off, back to his house.

It was after Dampé's plodding footsteps had faded away that I finally moved, approaching and kneeling next to the patch of sweet-smelling bare earth that was Romani's grave. I placed my hand on the dirt and said a final goodbye. Feeling a little more whole, I stood and returned to Zelda.

"Ready?" she asked gently. I nodded in reply, and she smiled. "Let's go home."

It still hurt. It still ate at me. I still knew deep down that it was my fault Romani had died. But as we left the graveyard to begin the journey back to Hyrule, I knew one other thing.

I was beginning to heal.


	22. Afterword

Hello! I'd like to take up a little extra space on the internet to give my closing thoughts on the story.

It was... quite a trip to put up that final chapter. Believe it or not, this story has been my brainchild since third grade! The story has gone through so many changes in the... wow, almost TEN YEARS it has existed. Way back then, I would never have _dreamed_ of making a romance one of the most important aspects of the story. Even in the past three years that I've been publishing the story on FFnet, the plot has gone through several changes, and as a result, my headcanon is a bit of a mess, and the story has changed directions several times. I hope it is cohesive enough to be binge read.

I've learned so much from writing this story. Many people have told me that my growth as a writer becomes more evident as the story goes on. Of course, that's just style. As far as actual plot structure goes, I've learned a lot about what NOT to do from this story. This can be summarized as "Don't make shit up as you go." That is advice I offer to anyone looking to write fanfiction of their own: HAVE A PLAN. This story has more plot holes and aborted arcs than I care to admit. The fact that I had to outright change Zelda's ENTIRE PERSONALITY is proof enough of that!

Speaking of my evolving writing style, I'd like to take a paragraph to give some thanks to authors who have influenced me. First of all, the great Christopher Paolini, whose descriptions of sword fighting are the basis of my own. Secondly, ZeldaRubix, who first inspired me to post fanfiction all those years ago. My internet buddy and incredible fanfiction author ctj, whose beautiful prose has taught me the importance of adjectives when trying to create immersion. Vyren Rolar, for her advice, support, and make-outs (while they lasted XD). I suppose I should also mention HylianDan, an article writer on ZeldaUniverse. Without his theory on the history of Termina and Majora, the story would not exist as it does today. Last, but most certainly not least, Kkat and Somber, the respective authors of the legendary works Fallout: Equestria and Project Horizons, the latter being a side story to the former. These two didn't have influence until the final chapter of Majora's Revenge, but there would not be a final chapter without them. Kkat has taught me the value of introspection in first-person narratives, while Somber's story helped me find a direction to take Link in the final chapter.

Lastly, I would like to thank all those who have left reviews over these past three years. Your support has kept me coming back to this story after my long hiatuses with renewed vigor, and I never expected so much positive feedback for my work. Thank you all so much. Without you guys to keep me writing, I might actually have passing grades! But in all seriousness, it's really an honor to see your praise every time I update. To know that people found my weird little story interesting enough to click is incredible, and to all the people who have stuck through to the very end, despite all the hiatuses... I'm sorry and thank you. I'll try to do better in the future.

That's all I wanted to say. If you actually read all of that, nice job, you wasted 2 minutes of your life you could've spent doing something productive. And I thank you once more for that! ^_^

Farewell. May we meet again in the next adventure!

-Norkix-


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